Slavery
by MikoAucarod
Summary: When it's time to die, everyone has 15 seconds before their soul leaves their bodies; in that moment others take advantage and transform them in Slaves. He never thought that he'll turn into one, loosing it all. His dignity, his freedom... his life. Semi-AU [Complete]
1. The Slaves

****Update November 2014: ****I'll be updating this chapters again. I believe my english is better now than back in 2011... or at least now I can read this fic in english and say: "That doesn't sound right..." hehehe...

**Author Notes**: Well, here I am with **my first attempt to write a story in English**, my native language is Spanish and I usually write Inuyasha fanfics in that language. A while ago I started to translate fics from English to Spanish but now I felt the challenge to translate one of my own stories to English.

This is the result.

The next chapter will be uploaded only depending on a few things: If you guys like this story, if you understand what I'm trying to say (Maybe I think that I'm saying something but the word doesn't even exist!), and depending on that I'll translate the other chapters.

So, in short, give me a chance and please if you find something that's not right, or you want to give me your comments, go ahead and send me a review, I love them and I will really appreciate if you could give me some feedback for this story. Thanks to all of you and, well, here I go…

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><p><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: Besides the plot line, I don't own anything. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Yomiuri TV Corporation. I'm not getting any profit from this story; this was just made for fun.

**Warning**: Once in a while there will be cursing. I'm not familiarized with the english dub of this series, but I don't think it's so much, because I honestly don't like bad words but sometimes they happen. You understand me, right? :3

**Thanks to**: petpeeves12 and A.B. Plasencia for your help when I was uploading this fic, for your corrections and beta work!

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><p><strong>Slavery.<br>Author: **MikoAucarod

Chapter 1. The Slaves

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><p>"I'm leaving, mom!"<p>

"Please be careful, my dear." A woman said, getting out of the house. She stood near her only daughter, watching her as she quickly put some stuff in her backpack. "Are you sure you don't want me to drive you there, Kagome?"

"Don't worry. Nothing bad is going to happen to me, mom."

Her mother frowned. Of course bad things could happen to her, no one was safe from death, and even less from what was waiting for them beyond it.

"Mom, relax, it's just the school bus, I'm not going anywhere else and everything will be fine. Don't you trust me?" She added after seeing the look on her mother's face.

"It's not that I don't trust you. It's just that... I couldn't bear to see you turned into a Slave."

"I'm not going to die, mom!" Exclaimed the young teenager a bit desperately, her mother was too overprotective. It was understandable, after what had happened to her father but... "No one would be interested in me, anyways."

Her mother smiled a bit. When her daughter began to look down herself, it was time to change the subject.

"It's ok, just please be careful..."

"I will, mom, I will." she said, giving her mother a sweet kiss on her cheek and fighting the urge to roll her eyes.

The teenager got out of her house, a little department on the outskirts of the city, and walked towards the highway, where she would take the school bus.

"Damn, it's not as if my life could be interesting enough so that other people wanted to turn me into a Slave..."

The bus came a few seconds afterwards. She was grateful for having cut out her conversation with her mother, because otherwise she would have lost it.

Kagome Higurashi was a common teenager who lived on the outskirts of Tokyo, in an area that was something between rural and urban. You could not have said that she was poor. With all the money that her father had left them they could live like the rich, but her mother, thinking it better, had decided to live a humble life, only having her daughter at her side, in a desperate attempt to seek protection.

The young woman got on the bus, and she stopped thinking about her past. As usual the school bus was full of students and she had to walk to the back in order to find a seat. At the very back of the bus she saw two free seats and headed straight to them.

To her surprise, she noted that they weren't as free as she had thought. There was a little boy, with bright, orange hair, sitting in one of the 'free' places. The only other free seat was at his side. She took it and studied the little boy with great interest. His clothes looked weird and he had a tiny, fluffy tail that could be seen through a hole on the back of his pants. The girl quickly came to the conclusion that he wasn't human.

"Hello sweetie, who are you?"

The young boy, who was blushing with embarrassment, did nothing more than press his little arms tighter between his legs. Then he looked down, completely confused.

"Cat got your tongue?" teased Kagome, in an attempt to make the boy forget his embarrassment.

"Young lady, I believe that you're grown up enough to understand that people's Slaves do not have permission to speak with other people without their master's authorization." A man sitting in the row in front of her said. He looked over his shoulder, watching her warily, yet with warm eyes.

"I don't see any shackle on his... oh..." the girl went quite immediately when the little boy raised his face, watching her, and letting her see that, indeed, on his neck was some kind of collar. He wore a small shackle with an orange stone placed in the center of it.

"This little one here will be the prize for the Science Contest from your school, that's why today we've taken the school bus."

Kagome felt rage growing inside of her. If there was something that she hated more than the fact that people kill others just to turn them into Slaves, it was the way the rest of the population treated them. As if they were no more living beings... well, in theory they weren't, anymore, at least that's what people said but... shit, they were still breathing didn't that count?

"A human being as the prize?" She asked, keeping the urge to punch that man for his disregard of the young creature, at bay.

The man did nothing more than smile softly.

"Shippo is not human... He's a little kitzune that has existed for some centuries. He's from Japan's feudal era. He's a very valuable object since there aren't too many survivors - or rather, Slaves - from ancient times.

"Don't treat him like some kind of thing without feelings!" Some students around them turned to see what was all the commotion about but, when they saw that it was Kagome who had yelled, they lost interest and kept on with their own business.

The man stared her intently, as if he were analyzing her.

"Shippo, you have permission to speak with her. Treat her nice." He said, turning around again to face the front of the bus.

The little kid smiled watching the girl at his side; he could tell that she was a kind and special girl.

"Nice to meet you, young lady, my name is Shippo."

Kagome couldn't help to feel compassion for that boy, who was smiling warmly at her. Something in that moment made her take a decision.

"Hello Shippo, my name is Kagome. And I'm determined to win that contest, even if it sounds bad that you're the prize, so I can give you a real life."

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><p>Two weeks had passed since that day.<p>

Kagome was slowly climbing the stairs to her room. She was tired and totally exhausted. School was getting harder and harder with every day that passed. But well, only two more days and she would be able to say '_Hellooo winter break_'.

When she entered her room, she looked over to the little child, Shippo, sleeping peacefully in his own bed.

Winning the contest hadn't been difficult at all. She had entered without knowing what was going to be the prize. When she had found out that it would be a Slave, she had been determined to not allow anyone to get their hands on the child who, behind his smile, hid a look of loneliness, as if he were all alone in this world. He practically was. The point was that thanks to her fast working mind, she had won and now the little one had a home of his own. She still remembered the words the man had said when he gave him to her.

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><p><em>"This little boy has suffered so much. Please accept my apologies for my attitude on the bus. I agree with everything you said. Aside from all else, Slaves deserve to have rights and be treated as normal people. Unfortunately the society we live in doesn't see it that way. In front of unknown people, I normally say that he's some kind of object, that way I'm able to reveal the true feelings of the people on this subject. It gives me great pleasure to know that, from all the students in here, it is you and your pure heart the one who will take care of him. Because of my work I have to travel a lot and that's why I can't stay with him. I didn't lie when I said that he is special because there aren't so many Slaves from his era in this world. That's why I beg you: please, take good care of him."<em>

_Kagome couldn't help but feel a mixture of emotions. She watched as Shippo said good bye to his former master, who then gave Kagome a plastic bag with some orange stones._

_"Just in case you need to change his stone or if you get other Slaves, these stones will prove that they're your property. Don't take that the wrong way" he added when he noticed that Kagome was getting upset again. "It's just that this way no one will be able to take them away from you by force, nor claim that they are the real owner. You must remember that not everyone understands they still have feelings, and unfortunately this world is a very cold and cruel place. At least this way you can guarantee that he will be safe with you."_

_"Thank you so much, Kei-sama." Shippo said to his former master, with tears in his eyes. "Thanks for everything."_

_The man hugged Shippo tightly one last time and then carried him over to Kagome._

_"I trust in your word, take good care of him."_

_"Of course I will." Kagome hugged the little boy, who returned the hug with a big smile. "I don't see him as my Slave, he's my friend. He is a new member of my family."_

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><p>After that, it hadn't been difficult to adapt to their new life. Shippo lived with her and her mother, and helped them with the cleaning... and from the looks of it, that day they had had lots of things to do, since the poor child looked really exhausted.<p>

Kagome looked over at her desk and saw the stones that Kei had given to her. Then, she turned her sadden gaze back to Shippo. Despite it all, she felt as if she was controlling his life.

When they die, human beings, animals and every living creature have 15 seconds before their souls leave their bodies. In those few seconds some people can take advantage and place shackles and a stone on their necks, waist, ankles or wrists. Those shackles symbolize **Slavery**. They regenerate the life of the death ones but, in exchange, it makes them Slaves of whoever had 'saved their life'. No one really knows if while being Slaves they're really alive or not, and even less is known if they can ever be released. Having their life attached to the shackle, they believe that once it is removed the soul will escape from their body. Since while being a Slave one is immortal. They're not immune to illnesses, but they don't grow old as time passes.

Kagome put away from her mind those depressing thoughts. She couldn't even begin to try to understand the mind of the little kitzune who had lived over 500 years as a Slave... that would have been unbearable to her.

The teenager got closer to the little one and lay down on the bed, beside him. She had really grown fond of him. He was like her son, and he treated her like a mother. But, when they were in the presence of other people he acted shy and reserved. Because that was the way a Slave should be; that's what he had learned. A Slave was not allowed to have any interaction with anyone or anything, unless they were given a direct order from their owner.

That's why Kagome passed her time giving him 'orders' to do whatever he wanted as long as he promised that he would never run out of the house or do something inadequate or stupid. But the child was just so scared and shy of the outside world. Something must have happened to him... something really bad...

"Mom..." whispered the kitzune in his dream, while releasing silent tears.

Kagome noticed this and began to try and calm him, trying to shoo away those nightmares, the ones that sometimes made the little boy wake up screaming, calling for his mother, and begging for forgiveness because he couldn't save her.

Kagome felt tears in her own eyes when she observed how much suffering had the small boy, and she couldn't do anything about it. She felt his pain as her own because she could understand him perfectly. She had never tried to take the shackle off of him to test if she could save him, because she knew that it would never work... at least the facts proved it.

Her father had been killed by a group of thieves and turned into a slave. They used that method to order innocent people to steal everything they could from their own houses and that helped them to never be caught. Nevertheless, her father had found a loophole on his master's orders and, after explaining things to his wife, had gone to confront him.

When they found him he was dead. His shackle had been thrown near him and he was badly, badly injured. They could never know if he had died because of his injuries or from the lack of a shackle on his body. But they, Kagome and her mother, were sure of something: he would never come back.

Kagome dried her eyes. It had been two years since that day and she still couldn't get over it. That's why she hated people who owned and mistreated Slaves. That's why she thought that all boys were scum... and idiots.

The teenager girl stood up and woke Shippo so they could go to dinner. There was nothing else to do other than get on with their lives. And to hope that, no matter what happened, nothing could destroy what bit by bit they had managed to obtain with the passage of time. That no matter what could happen, they could still be together.


	2. Suffering

****Update December 2014: ****This is a revised chapter. I believe my english is better now than back in 2011-2012... or at least now I can read this fic in english and say: "That doesn't sound right..." hehehe...

**Author Notes**: Thank you so much for you reviews and alerts! They have motivated me to continue and finish this. Even if isn't the best, as plot or even as language xDU I'll do my best x3 thanks!

Remember, please, if you find some mistakes or something that I should change, I'll really appreciate it if you tell me on a review, so I'll edit the chapter and make it better. Thanks to all of you! X3

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><p><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: Besides the plot line, I don't own anything. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Yomiuri TV Corporation. I'm not getting any profit from this story; this was just made for fun.

**Warning**: Suicide theme in this chapter. If you're uncomfortable with it, I'm sorry for the trouble. Once in a while there will be cursing. I'm not familiarized with the english dub of this series, but I don't think it's so much, because I honestly don't like bad words but sometimes they happen. You understand me, right? :3

Ah! And before anything else happens. I'm not an anti-kikyo, got it? Give it some chapters more to understand some things ^^U

**Thanks to**: A.B. Plasencia for your help when I was uploading this fic, for your corrections and beta work!

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><p><strong>Slavery.<br>****Author: **MikoAucarod

Chapter 2. Suffering.

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><p>Winter Holidays!<p>

She couldn't be happier. And she showed it going out every day with her best friend, Sango, and Shippo, the little one that step by step was losing his shyness around other people.

Sometimes some people glared at them with disapproval, over the fact that the child would speak with someone who wasn't his master. A lot of them considered it a shame that he '_couldn't act as a Slave should_' and yet, their own slaves seemed to be longing to do the same.

That day they were going to the market, to meet with Mr. Kei, who used to send them letters. When they found out that he had come back to the city for a couple of days, they decided to pay him a visit.

He asked to see them in one of the most popular markets of the city, and that's were they were heading. Shippo looked really excited to be able to see his former master again, who had treated him as a friend, just like Kagome was doing now.

Ms. Higurashi had insisted on take them in her car; she was afraid that something could happen to them. That's why, at that moment, Sango was sitting in front with her and Kagome was playing with Shippo in the back.

"I wonder what he wants to show us, he sounded kind of worried." Shippo asked with curiosity.

"I don't know, when he spoke with me he just asked me to come today, it seems that something important is going to happen, but I don't know what could it be."

When they arrived at the market, the four of them got out of the car and went to the place they had decided to meet at. They didn't have trouble finding Kei, who smiled kindly at them.

"I'm sorry for troubling you during your holidays, Miss Kagome. Shippo, you look great! And you must be Mrs. Higurashi," he spoke taking the hand of Kagome's mother and kissing it gallantly, then he looked Sango with a bit of mistrust "and she is...?"

"She is Sango, my best friend... she agrees with us on our thoughts of the Slaves."

The man relaxed visibly and guided them through the stands; despite being this a urban area, it was common to find this style of markets.

"The matter that brought me here was the presence of other Slaves. I found out that someone would try to sell them in some kind of auction."

"That's horrible." Spoke Kagome, with Shippo on her arms, mad for the treatment that they were probably receiving.

"No kidding... however, I thought it would be prudent to come and see what would happen to them." Kei studied the three women and, keeping his voice low enough to avoid eavesdroppers, he added: "I'm almost sure that they're from the time, if not the same, similar to the one Shippo comes from."

"You mean that they're from the Sengoku?" Asked Sango without being able to help herself; generally there weren't human Slaves around of over 200 years. Because, normally, the owner used to get tired of them or ordered to kill or bury them with him when he passed away. That's why it was weird to find people from very ancient times.

"I know, it's weird. Even more because it seems that they all have the same owner, it's strange. That's why I thought that you would be interested to find out more about this."

Ms. Higurashi wasn't very happy of attending one of those events, that's why she decided to go around to the other stands and use the time to buy things that they needed. Meanwhile Sango, Shippo and Kagome followed Kei into the area where the auction was being held.

When they arrived they could see that he hadn't lied. In that place there was a lot of people, most being young women, and a lot of them from high society, who observed the Slaves as if they were some kind of valuable trophy.

"Sango, Kagome!" Called a girl from the middle of the crowd, getting the attention of her friends.

"Kagura! You too? It's not possible, I thought you better than this."

"No, don't get me wrong, its just that my little sister here doesn't want to go..."

They moved their gazes towards Kanna, a ten years old girl that wasn't able to stop playing with one of the Slaves. She was touching his...

"Are those his real ears?" asked Kagome, noticing the small triangles that showed up over the skull of the Slave that was kneeling closest to her.

"You said it, he's a really weird guy." Noted Kagura, watching intently the four Slaves that were present.

"Whoa, a hanyou" Kei couldn't help his astonishment "unbelievable, who would have turned him into a Slave?"

"I ignore it. Lady Kaede didn't want to tell us anything about them. She just put them up for auction." answered Kagura, with a shrug.

"Is Lady Kaede their owner?" Kagome asked again, not being able to believe it.

Lady Kaede was one of their oldest teachers, and since everyone loved her as if she was their grandma she had obtained that nickname.

"Oh God, I so envy her!"

"Sango!"

"Oh, but look at them! They're just so handsome!"

Sango wasn't lying at all. The four men in front of them were standing beside an old woman, with a kind face.

The first man had long black hair, combed up in a ponytail and was wearing clothes of wolf skin. His gaze was charming every time a woman got close to him, to study him.

Beside him, the second man, had a stoic, cold face and wasn't paying attention to anything more than the horizon. His hair, long and silver, was falling behind him until below his knees. He wore an immaculate suit with an armor of the same kind a prince would use. His golden eyes were absolutely cold, he had four stripes on his face two on each cheek and a crescent moon on his forehead that showed he wasn't human. He was a youkai, just like Shippo. His ears were bigger than the ones of a human and were of the same kind as the first man on auction.

The third guy was definitely a human, a really handsome man with black hair and playful eyes. He had the smirk of a seducer and made a lot of the girls blush once they looked at him. It didn't help either that he asked randomly "Would you bear my children?" and that, in Kei's own words, could only mean that Lady Kaede had allowed them to do whatever they wanted.

The last person, the one playing with Kanna, was a teenage boy of apparently sixteen years. His hair was silver-gray and long to his waist. He had dog ears on his head. His eyes looked calm at that moment, while playing with the little girl, however when someone called him, or a woman walked near him, the look he gave them was distant, dry and full of hatred, without any hint of happiness and no desire to talk to anyone.

"He sure seems more unsympathetic than the other ones... even when that other guy seems cold, his aura is different from the guy with dog ears." stated Shippo, watching with curiosity towards the others.

"You seem interested in him." Spoke the old lady, walking up to the group. "I must say that this boy is really special...Israel, please come here."

The teenage boy walked over to the old lady and left the kid on the floor, beside Kagura, who was looking, from time to time, at the man with cold eyes.

"He's Israel; he's been with me since I was a little girl." Spoke the lady, with fondness. The man who apparently was named Israel stared at them harshly, as if he were challenging them to say something. However, when he saw Shippo, his eyes relaxed inconspicuously, as if he felt connected with the kitzune. "That's why I'm not planning to give him to anybody."

"Hi, I'm Shippo." said the young kitzune, trusting in his aura. It wasn't evil, it was just sad.

"My name is In-Israel." said the young man, forcefully, as if every word was hard to say. It seemed that he didn't talk much.

Kagome observed him with curiosity. She was sure that the name the old lady told them, Israel, was not the one he was about to say.

"Then, why are you putting them on auction?" asked Sango, watching the human Slave, the one dressed as a monk.

"Sesshomaru, Kouga and Miroku," she said signaling the silver youkai, the young wolf youkai and the human Slaves. "Like Israel, have been with me since almost my entire life and look at me, young Sango, I'm really old, I would like to know that at least, when I'm dead, they won't be alone."

"How much do you want for these Slaves?" asked one of the girls that was nearest the other three Slaves, with a sickening look. Only God would know what her plans were for them.

Kagome recognized the girl immediately, it was Kikyo, one of the most popular girls at the college, and the rumors said that she changed Slaves faster than she changed boyfriends... and people said that she had had over five boyfriends over the last week of exams.

"Well, it's an auction, so you're the one to offer."

"I'll give you 200,000 for the four of them."

The old lady's eyes widened in amazement. The price of 200,000 was more than she had expected for them.

"Well, I guess it would be all right."

When Kaede said so, Shippo noticed that Israel's eyes, when he saw Kikyo, got a mixture between hating and, even if he could hide it well, fear towards her. He wasn't surprised, that aura of that woman made him feel sick, too. Neither of the other three Slaves looked very fond of that idea either.

"Kagome, how much money do I have saved?" asked quickly the little one, getting Kaede's attention, who forgot for that moment about that possible client.

"A Slave with earned money?" asked Kikyo, with contempt, getting closer to the group. "Oh well, but if it's nothing more than the 'I'm-very-smart-and-nerdy girl' from school… Higurashi, right?"

"Shippo is part of my family" said Kagome, not even looking at Kikyo. Years ago she had learned to ignore her completely. "Every three days, depending on how much he has helped at the house I give him some money so he can buy whatever he wants when we go out."

Kagome thought about it. Israel looked at her with curiosity and disbelief; never in his whole life had he seen somebody treating a Slave that way.

"Oh, I get it, the little girl thinks she's more than important than everyone else. Honey, think what you want, it'll be better for me to not distract myself with garbage like you. Well, Lady Kaede, do we have a deal?"

Some girls had started to retreat, some because they had got bored of looking and others because they hadn't plan to pay more than Kikyo had offered. Besides, getting in her way was the same as visiting hell.

However, Kaede was waiting for Kagome's response. She wasn't blind so she could tell what could happen to her adored 'sons' if that girl keep them.

"Around 30,000 Shippo, why?"

"That much?" Asked Sango, astonished "Kagome… but you and you mother have a really humble life, how's that possible…?"

Shippo interrupted Sango, feeling completely sad.

"Then we can't buy him!"

"What?"

Kei couldn't help but smile, and he got close to Kagome and took something out from his pocket.

"Miss Kagome, I just remembered…" Kei gave her a roll of bills and Kagome looked overwhelmed.

"What's that?"

"It's my 'early-Christmas-present' for you, Shippo and your mother, do with this money as you please."

"But I don't need any…"

"I insist."

Kagome couldn't turn him down. Then, she looked at the old lady, who looked somewhat uneasy. Then, her eyes meet Kikyo's gaze, who was smirking, thinking that she had won and then she looked to Israel, who was looking, almost as uneasy as Kaede and Sango, to the raven-haired girl.

He didn't like any of those girls, but if he could have a choice, he'd prefer that Kagome girl. At least she didn't appear to want to devour him alive once they got home.

"Okay, Lady Kaede… is it all right with you if I give you 230,000 for Israel?"

The hanyou stared, shocked, at the girl in front of him. Was she really willing to pay that ridiculous quantity just for him?

Miroku couldn't help but sigh with disappointment.

"Young lady" he said "don't be offended… but you just made me lose a new home."

Sango felt touched for that and she made a decision. Besides, that man showed to be very nice.

"Lady Kaede, I'll give you 60,000 for Miroku."

"You'll- what?"

Not so long after, Kagura and Ayame, another classmate of them, with red hair, offered the same quantity for Sesshomaru and Kouga, respectively.

"Unbelievable… girls, really… would you take good care of them?"

"Of course I will" said Ayame "I practically live alone, since my parents are at work for almost the entire day, and I need someone to protect me and help me with the housework. It seems that Kouga is a warrior type and I'm sure no one would want to mess with him."

The young wolf youkai puffed out his chest, in pride.

"Good, at least they don't felt pity for me, not like with this flea-bag."

"Kouga, don't be like that. Don't treat our friend that way" scolded the monk, standing besides Sango, who immediately told him to not treat her as a master but as a friend. "Oh wow, the angels are definitely among us, Lady Kaede."

No one took notice at which moment Kikyo had left, extremely offended and with the crazy desires to get revenge.

Sesshomaru didn't say much, he just walked towards Kagura, made a small bow and showed the same coldness as before.

"What you need, madam, just ask for it from this Sesshomaru." Kagura blushed when she heard him speak.

"You heard what Sango said, I do not consider you as an object or something less than that. If we bought you it was to save you from that hag, Kikyo." At that moment, Sesshomaru relaxed his gaze and allowed himself to offer a tiny smile to his new owner, who blushed even more.

"But even so…" Kagome felt dirty, she had just realized what se had done. She had just bought a life… the life of a young man who had no blame for anything… "God, I feel awful."

"Don't feel that way, my dear" said Kaede, getting closer. "Israel, as a last favor, could you help me to dismantle the stand?"

The young hanyou got on his feet and, without looking at Kagome, started to work. Miroku immediately went to help him while Kouga and Sesshomaru left with their new owners.

"My girl, listen, I know it's something hard to understand and probably yes, the ethic is all broken right now, but at least I see it this way: 'If he's already a Slave, the least you can do is to offer him a life with dignity, on this his second chance.' It doesn't matter what the circumstances are, or how you got to be his owner… the important thing is how you will treat him, and what he will mean to you. With time, you'll find your answer, Kagome, and you'll see that it's not as bad as it appears to be."

Kagome nodded, a little confused of her choice of words, then she took Shippo up in her arms.

"You don't have an 'Israel face'." she said after a few seconds, when the man went near them again.

"It's true." Said Lady Kaede, smiling with embarrassment "As I said, he's been with me since I was a child and I never got to say his real name, that's why I renamed him as Israel."

"Then, what's your real name?"

"I don't have a name." He said, coldly and dry. Then he looked the other way and added with hatred. "I'm a Slave and I'll be called and treated as you wish, my master."

Kagome felt a stab go through her chest hearing him talk that way. Then she shook her head, gathering courage, she faced him.

"You're still a human being…"

"I'm a hybrid, a hanyou. I don't even belong to your own race."

"… Even so, you are alive and you have feelings… before you died… how did they call you?"

The young man looked at the floor, feeling awkward because of her words. Besides Kaede, no one had ever talked to him that way before.

"... My real name is... Inuyasha"

"Well, nice to meet you Inuyasha, my name is Kagome Higurashi."

"Keh!" He spat, when he realized that this young girl would never act or do something against him. "I'm not interested in knowing your name."

"Inuyia- Inuylla- Israel, please use your manners with the miss. Even if it doesn't fell like it, she's now your master."

The man sent an annoyed look towards the girl, and she felt a shiver go down her spine, because of that. Those eyes were looking at her with anger, hatred, as if he blamed her for everything that was wrong in his life.

"Inuyasha…" She said nervously. "Please, take Shippo to the market's entrance, my mother should be waiting for us at that place…"

"Hold on, Kagome," said Kei for the first time in a while. "Do you remember the stones I gave you? You have them with you right now, right? If Shippo is your Slave and has a stone with a particular color you should put the same kind of stone on Inuyasha's shackle, that way no one will be able to confuse them or take them away from you without your consent. It would be better if you put the stone on Inuyasha right now."

"But if we took the stones from them…"

"Somehow, the shackle knows the intent with which you remove the stone. When it's a change of ownership they don't die, my child, so don't concern your self about that. Maybe they'll feel pain for a moment, but it won't be anything serious."

"All right…"

It was a well known fact that if the stone was removed from the shackle, it would suck the life out of the Slave. They didn't know if the same thing happened when they took off the entire shackle but at least the stone was essential in a Slave's life.

Kagome walked towards Inuyasha and when she put a hand on his shoulder he hissed and pulled away from her immediately.

"Don't you ever dare touch me again!" He yelled, scaring them all.

"Oh, I'm sorry my dear, I forgot to tell you… he's that way at the beginning."

"I do not tolerate anybody touching me." Remarked Inuyasha, glancing hard towards Kaede, but without that hate that Kagome saw before in his eyes.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Give me the stone Kagome, I'll place it, but in any case, he belongs to you."

Kagome gave one of her orange stones to Lady Kaede and she went up to the hanyou, then she removed his hair from his shoulders, exposing his neck, were he had a shackle similar to the one that Shippo had, but with a red stone. The old lady took hold of the stone very carefully and removed it. At the very instant, Inuyasha closed his eyes with pain, feeling like every single part of his body was being torn apart. At that next second, Kaede placed the orange stone in place of the red and every pain felt immediately vanished. Kagome couldn't help but feel guilty while watching… she had caused pain on that man.

"Good, now you can leave, my son. Please take care." said the old lady. Inuyasha just 'Keh-ed' and then moved towards Shippo who jumped and placed himself on his shoulder. Then both of them left. Sango went behind them, with Miroku and Kei, who had offered to take Sango and Miroku to their home.

"He's always that way, my dear, but soon you will see that he's not that bad. Just give him time and you'll see that little by little he'll open his heart."

Kagome watched Inuyasha as he walked away.

"I feel dirty, I hate people that have Slaves, that decide over their lives and now… I just bought one… I have two Slaves under my power and I…"

"Kagome, I know that you're not doing this with bad intentions and I'm sure that they know it… just give it time."

* * *

><p>Once they arrived at home, Inuyasha couldn't help but look astonished at the place. And it wasn't because of the majesty of it. They had arrived to a set of departments on the outskirts of the city and, as he could see, every apartment was really small. How on earth was possible for someone who lived in this kind of place, to pay over 200,000 for him?<p>

"Inuyasha. Don't stay behind" called Kagome, getting the hanyou out of his shock.

The girl looked happier. She had noticed, with joy, that he only appeared to be evil to drive away people. Once they had boarded the car, Shippo had felt bored and Inuyasha had quickly began to get his attention and had entertained the 'runt', as he called him, the whole way home, without malice. It was just when he had to talk to her that he acted cold and distant. God, even with her mother he had exchanged kind words. She wondered if the one that had turned him into a Slave had been a young woman and if that was the reason why he felt a grudge towards her. She could remember how he had looked at the other girls back during the auction.

They entered the apartment and Inuyasha studied the place closely. It wasn't that small and it had two floors (which was weird at an apartment). If he recalled right his earlier conversation with Kagome's mother on the top floor where the rooms and on the lower floor there was the kitchen, dinning room, a hall and small bathroom.

"Well, I got to go back to the city. There is something we forgot to buy."announced said woman.

Inuyasha left the packages in the kitchen, on the table, and looked with disbelief towards her. He could swear that on the table was food to last almost a whole week, what else could be missing?

"Unfortunately, Inuyasha," Kagome's mother explained, noticing the puzzled look on the young hanyou's face, "we didn't lie when we said that we live humbly. This apartment is not large and you must share a room with Kagome and Shippo. I will buy a new bed or bunk beds so you can sleep without problems." And with that, she left the house, leaving a young blushing girl and an angry looking Inuyasha.

"I don't want to share a room with a foolish girl like you!"

"Inuyasha, I don't pretend to rule over your life, but you're being very rude! I would like you to show me some respect!"

"Damn it! Just order it! You're the owner of my life! Even if I wanted to I cannot disobey you!"

"You're a spoiled kid!"

"And you're dumb and crazy!"

"That's how you thank me for saving you from the insane Kikyo? At this moment you could be eating from the palm of her hand, literally!"

"There isn't so much difference! You bought me, remember?"

"Don't you dare compare me with that _girl_! If I bought you it was to save your life from a miserable fate!"

"My imitation of life is miserable already, thank you very much!"

"You are such a fool!"

"Stubborn!"

"You act like a misbehaving dog! Sit boy!"

Inuyasha closed his eyes, enraged, and then he sat with his knees bent up and putting his arms forward between his legs. His knuckles were completely pale because of the pressure he was putting on his fists.

Kagome watched him, terrified, and realized her mistake. Seeing him that way, so vulnerable…

"I-I'm sorry. Please forgive me, I didn't want to…"

Inuyasha opened his eyes. They seemed to flash with indescribable fury, and yet, they also showed an agonizing sorrow in his whole being.

The hanyou stood up, turned around and stormed upstairs, shouting something that she failed to understand. Within seconds, Shippo, terrified, came down, crying that Inuyasha had jumped from the balcony of her room.

"Inuyasha what?!"

"He yelled something about not ever enduring to be anyone's dog again."

Kagome went to the rear of the building and got out from the kitchen's door. Because it was a sparsely populated area, a few meters away was a forest that leaded to one of the mountains nearest to that place. She observed Inuyasha, with his back towards her, running towards the forest and stopping just as soon as he passed the first tree. Then, from Kagome's point of view, he dug his claws into his neck.

Kagome ran hastily from her place. To her dismay, the man had instantly fallen towards the floor and now he lay sprawled near the trees. When she came near she noticed with dread that he wasn't breathing.

"No! Shippo!" She yelled towards her balcony, noticing Inuyasha's stone was between his claws, shattered. "Bring me one of the stones that Kei gave me!"

Shippo didn't hesitate a second to take one of the stones from the desktop and jump from the balcony, running with high speed towards them. That was one of the advantages of being a youkai.

Kagome immediately took it and placed it in the shackle of the teenager, prying that it wasn't too late.

Inuyasha remained frozen, his eyes half closed, with an empty stare, completely lifeless. The young girl began to think the worst and she hugged Inuyasha tightly against her lap, leaving him half reclining on her legs. Then she took one of his hands, his claws were dangerously close to her hand's skin, almost scratching it.

But she didn't care, she was only aware of the heavy body that was lying upon her and it seemed that he would not react anymore.

"Inuyasha…" the tears began to form in her eyes. She felt time passing painfully slow and eternal on that moment. She didn't understand why, but she felt that she would die too if the hanyou didn't awake.

Just then, Inuyasha began coughing and gagging violently, causing both Shippo and Kagome to jump with fear and relief.

The young hanyou blinked a few times, faintly. His eyes looked completely shattered; there was no way to explain the feeling in those eyes. He seemed to carry a giant pain.

"Why? … Why? ... Why couldn't I-?" that was the only thing he said, more as a whimper than a phrase. However, Kagome heard him perfectly and couldn't help but feel his pain in her heart.

Did he want to die that badly?

"That's not the solution…" she whispered in response, without releasing him. Then Inuyasha moved his head to the right, and realized that he was in the arms of the girl and that she had firmly grasped his left hand, without fear or disgust.

Inuyasha stared deeply towards their clasped hands, but made no move to break the contact or move away himself… it was weird but… it felt so good to be in that position.

Definitely, his old resurrection had no comparison with this one at all. In that moment he had detected the aura of that despicable woman. The greed, the lust for power, the pride of being owner of his whole being, among with other unpleasant feelings. But at this moment all he could detect was relief and joy for see him... well, not dead. He also could detect sadness and guilt, and a lot of feelings that at the moment he couldn't identify. And yet, they conveyed him peace and tranquility.

"Are you mad about this?" Kagome asked softly, noticing how the teenage boy hadn't look away from their hands.

For a second, she had thought to let go, but then she noticed, with surprise, that he had slowly maneuvered his own hand in order to intertwine their fingers together.

He moved so gently, as if he were studying each of his own movements.

"No…" he whispered finally, once he had trapped her hand in his. "Honestly no, I-"

Kagome saw him and a small blush crossed her face. She stared, a bit confused, at Inuyasha's face. He was concentrated, as if he were remembering something.

"I-This is the first time that... that someone has held my hand."

"What?" Kagome was surprised to hear that. Shippo smiled softly and left back to the apartment, he knew that they wanted some privacy to talk.

"My claws. They're deadly weapons. I never- no one ever before has dared to be this close to me. Not even Kaede. No one ever has touched me this way."

She felt like her heart was going to come out of her chest. Inuyasha was calm, thoughtful. He didn't look aggressive or overbearing, as before. He moved his thumb over hers slowly, as if he was experiencing that feeling for the first time. That feeling that so many people thought was something so common…

"I'm guessing that I'm still your Slave." he said bitterly after a moment, letting go of her hand, gently, not wanting to harm her.

"I do not like to think of it that way." Inuyasha looked at her with a frown and she sighed, "Ok, fine, yeah, I'm your owner, but I don't like to feel that way, it feels very bad to think that I can control your lives. That's why I'll do the same thing I did with Shippo."

Inuyasha looked at her blankly. For some reason, when she said that she was his owner, at that moment, it hadn't sounded so bad to him.

"You can do whatever you want, whenever you want, as long as you want and wherever you want. Only if you promise to never abandon us, never do anything crazy or anything wrong and, over all, never do something that can hurt you or can cost you any kind of damage."

Inuyasha's eyes widened in surprise. No one, ever, had given him so much freedom being a Slave… though it sounded ironic.

"And I can tell that you would not stand it to be locked up the whole day, so you can explore this wood as much as you want. Even if you want to travel for a while in it and do something by yourself, I won't deny it. But please, just keep us informed, either my mom or me. We only care for you. We just want you to be happy."

Inuyasha straightened up carefully, because he felt kind of dizzy, until he was sitting on his own and studied her intently, looking for any sign of a lie in her words. But all he could see was a worried face that conveyed a lot of affection towards him… and above all else, a look of honesty.

"Are you aware that I might tell you that I will do that, then leave forever to finally give myself death and find some peace? Yeah, that would make me happy." He spoke roughly, making her look down, with hurt.

"I know... but... if that's what you really wish, then this time I'll not interfere..." Kagome looked at him and couldn't stop the little tear that fell from her eyes. "This time I acted because of my own instinct, I didn't really think about what you wanted. Forgive me if I made you feel bad for giving you this new chance to live."

The teenager girl stood up and went to her house, not once looking back. She knew that, no matter what happened, he would make the best choice for him.

A few moments later she stopped and whispered some last words and then began to run towards her house, leaving Inuyasha in shock.

The hanyou kept sitting in that spot, feeling for the first time since his death, 500 years ago, that maybe it would be worth it to give this new life a try.

"_I just want you to know that not even for one second did I felt pity for you. I didn't buy you because I felt pity. Not at all."_


	3. Christmas

**Update January 2015**: This is a revised chapter. I believe my english is better now than back in 2011-2012... or at least now I can read this fic in english and say: "That doesn't sound right..." hehehe...

**Author Notes**: Thanks again for your alerts and reviews ^^ someone told me that the majority of my mistakes are typos and grammatical mistakes. I responded that I don't have a beta reader (I know them as proofreader) and I do all by myself so it doesn't hurt to ask. Is someone willing to help me and be my beta reader? Anyway, here's the third chapter. I know, Christmas isn't going to be in here until two more months but when I first wrote this story in spanish it was December 24th, so anyway, I hope you like this episode ^^ thank you again for all your lectures and alerts! X3

**Disclaimer**: Besides the plot line, I don't own anything. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Yomiuri TV Corporation. I'm not getting any profit from this story; this was just made for fun.

**Warning**: Once in a while there will be cursing. I'm not familiarized with the english dub of this series, but I don't think it's so much, because I honestly don't like bad words but sometimes they happen. You understand me, right? :3

**Thanks to**: petpeeves12 and A.B. Plasencia for your help when I was uploading this fic, for your corrections and beta work!

* * *

><p><strong>Slavery.<br>****Author: **MikoAucarod

Chapter 3. Christmas

* * *

><p>The young hanyou was resting on the branches of one of the biggest trees nearest the departments building. To anyone who didn't know him, he appeared to be sleeping. However, Inuyasha was alert to every single noise… especially the one he had just heard.<p>

Inuyasha quickly jumped to the floor, to avoid the snowball aimed at him. He stood there listening to Kagome complain. The teenage boy couldn't help but smirk and bend down to response to the assault. If she wanted to play like that, then it was war!

"Hey! I didn't throw them that hard!" Exclaimed the young girl, shaking off the remnants of snow from her face, which had reddened from the impact, and the coldness of the snow.

"You started it."

"And you always have to ruin the fun for everything." Growled Kagome, kneeling and forming another snow ball. "Can't you ever be quiet for a moment so I can hit you? It isn't fun if I can't hit you!"

"Fun for you. I don't pretend having all my clothes wet because of the snow."

The both of them began their snowball war, which Kagome ended up loosing. The hanyou had good reflexes and since the woods were like his second home he knew precisely where to hide, or from which trees to throw his next attack from, long before Kagome could even blink.

They had been living together for almost a week now. Since Kagome had found him dead near the forest, and let him decide over his life, Inuyasha had changed a lot, at least with her and her mother.

He kept acting distant and cold when strangers got near him, especially if they were women, even with Sango, but when they were alone at her house, and being with just 'her family' as Kagome liked to call them, he acted less arrogant and more open to them. The young woman could tell that he had good feelings inside him, it was just that life hadn't been all that easy for him… especially since his death…

"But at least, you're here…" whispered the young girl, smiling when she remembered that day at dinner. He had entered the kitchen saying that he was very hungry, she had thrown herself into his arms, crying with happiness seeing him unharmed. That had caused a big commotion inside Inuyasha, who hadn't known what to do.

"Did you say something? You give up already?" yelled Inuyasha from atop one of the trees, seeing how Kagome had just stopped.

"Actually, we shouldn't be doing this. Mom told me that dinner was rea-"

"Why didn't you said that before? You want me to starve to death!" Yelled the young man, with fake anger, and an arrogant smirk on his face. Then he ran to the house.

Kagome couldn't help but smile. If she had learned anything about him it was that, despite it all he was like that, a mixture between arrogance, aggressiveness and rudeness, but she could over look that. He had some good qualities too, like… hmm… like… um… oh well, she could think about it later, right now she just wanted to enjoy dinner alongside her family.

* * *

><p>"… And I was thinking that we could start to place the decorations for Christmas, Kagome. We haven't even got a pine."<p>

"Christmas?" Asked Inuyasha, surprised. It was already that time of the year?

"Christmas?" Exclaimed Shippo with a big smile on his face.

"You want to place a pine inside this tiny apartment?" asked Kagome.

"Well, not a big one, but yes. We could place it in the living room."

"It will block the TV."

"Kagome, you never watch TV so don't complain about it."

So they had started to put up the holiday decorations… and for Inuyasha, it had been the most boring time of his entire life.

At first he had been lively and willing to help out but the only thing he had been able to do was cut down a pine tree from the forest and place it in the living room, since his claws made it impossible for him to touch any of the ornaments without breaking them completely. They had found that out when they started to place the ornaments on the tree. Inuyasha had picked up a sphere and the next moment it laid on the floor, broken. The wire had being completely cut off thanks to his claws.

And if he wasn't careful, the spheres were broken under the pressure of his fingers. That had made them laugh at first but now Inuyasha was sitting on the couch looking at Kagome and her mother doing everything. Even Shippo was jumping all over the house placing ornaments everywhere. There was no other way to describe it, it was boring and frustrating!

The hanyou quietly stood and went to his room. Inside was the bed that had once belonged to Kagome, now it was Shippo's, and in the other corner the bunk bed shared by Inuyasha and Kagome. They always fought over who would sleep on the top bunk. Inuyasha then went to the small balcony and looked over at the forest and the mountain that could be seen at a distance.

He sighed, releasing some tension. He felt useless and that bothered him. He couldn't believe that in the few days he had been there he had grow used to the needing to do something for Kagome and her mother. He always made sure they were well, and that they didn't need anything. It was like he was watching over them 24 hours at day. It was unbelievable.

Releasing another sigh, he leaned against the concrete railings of the balcony and started to count the stars in the sky, despite it barely being sunset, a few of them could already be seen.

He couldn't help but remember his own time, even after centuries since then, he couldn't forget how beautiful the nights of his time were. Without a trace of contamination, all the stars were brilliant and beautiful. They shined in all their glory.

Before he could stop himself he began to remember that night, the one when he had died. That evil witch, Tsubaki, had tried everything, to have him, and he had refused. What did he get? Guards from the castle hunting for his head, under the false information, that he had attacked Tsubaki and now she demanded to see him dead.

It hadn't been difficult to kill a few of the guards, those fool enough to dare attack him, and escape into the forest. However, Tsubaki had been more astute and after throwing a curse at him, she had poisoned him. The last thing he saw was the silhouette of that woman among the trees, with a mulishness grin on her face, and at the next moment he was in her arms, with the shackle around his neck. She was staring at him with triumph, as if she had just won the best trophy of all.

He had never expected to become a Slave once he died. Usually that only happened to full youkais for their rarity, but him, being a hanyou, someone unimportant and without any race to belong, couldn't believe that fate had given him this new punishment, full of humiliation. In that moment he hadn't felt like he had a new chance at life. At that time he had lost it all, his life, his dignity, his pride… his freedom.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed, shaking him vigorously. Just then he snapped out of his thoughts. He was still on the balcony, but now he was kneeling beside the railing. "Are you okay?"

"What?" he asked, confused, looking at Kagome. When had she arrived?

"I came to call you for dinner, but you were thinking of something, like daydreaming or something. You didn't answer me and then you started to complain, of pain, and fell to your knees…"

"I never complain about little things like pain." He spoke arrogantly but then he noticed the serious look on the teenage girl's face, just then he realized that his hand was holding tightly to his clothes right over his chest. Kagome's hand rested on his own and he could tell how tense she was.

"You were complaining about a pain in your chest…"

"Well, I don't feel any pain, I'm perfectly fine."

"That is the place where your heart is…"

Inuyasha froze at those words. Wasn't he supposed to be immortal with that disgusting thing on his neck?

"Sometimes," Kagome spoke softly "we're not injured or sick…. It just hurts."

"That shouldn't be normal." Said Inuyasha while standing up releasing from the grip of Kagome's hands. Then he headed back into the bedroom and sat on the lower bunk.

"It isn't normal. It happens when you're sad, very sad." Kagome looked at him, feeling sad herself. "It's like when you think of someone you loved a lot, and lost."

That's when Inuyasha smiled bitterly.

"If that's the case then the only thing that would be able to ease this pain would be to go back to my old life, get rid of that despicable witch and never die in the first place."

Kagome didn't have anything to say to that, there was nothing to say. She couldn't know how Inuyasha felt and even less since she had never experienced any of the things that had happened to him. She could understand and imagine it, but she didn't know how to comfort him.

"Today I call for the top bunk" was all he said and left the room, leaving behind the girl frozen with her thoughts.

* * *

><p>"Merry Christmas!" Yelled Shippo, jumping from one place to other without any control, all over the house, making Inuyasha's nerves, that were already in a not, clench into anger.<p>

"Shippo, stop jumping! You're not letting me hear the TV!"

"You're not even paying attention to it, stupid dog."

"How did you called me?"

Kagome let out a tired sigh, while watching them run for all over the house, Inuyasha was chasing Shippo. She was surprised to see that, despite their rush they never broke anything or bumped into any furniture.

At that moment someone knocked on the door, she went to answer it. It was Sango and Miroku baring gifts and some food.

"Merry Christmas, Sango!" Shouted Shippo, passing by her side quickly, followed closely by Inuyasha, who only gave a 'Keh!' when he saw them.

"Same to you, Shippo, Inuyasha!" both creatures disappeared upstairs. "I don't understand how your neighbors never complain about the noise, Kagome."

"Well, it's fortunate that not many people live in this building. I think we only have three neighbors. If it wasn't for the mail, I would think that we live alone in this place."

"That smells good" said Miroku "May I?"

"Sure, in the kitchen" smiled Kagome, allowing the young monk to go to the kitchen, were Ms. Higurashi was preparing the Christmas dinner. "That Miroku is truly a gentleman" she noted while walking to the living room with Sango, both of them watching how the man quickly helped Ms. Higurashi with the work.

"Hah, yeah right. Only when we're talking about old ladies and married woman. But when it comes to young girls or college girls…"

"Don't tell me that he's still a pervert?"

"You should see him, Kagome. We had to put a lock on his bedroom door. He kept walking into my room in the middle of the night. When my father found him he claimed to be a sleepwalker and that his instincts ordered him to be beside his owner all the time."

Kagome laugh out loud at that. Sango smiled a bit, with guilt.

"My father told me that if I ordered him to stop that, he would obey, but…" Sango looked towards the kitchen again, noticing how Miroku was cutting the vegetables, with amazing ability. "I don't know. I wouldn't like to make him angry by giving him orders. I know I can but…"

"Don't worry, I understand. The only order I have given to Inuyasha and Shippo gives them almost complete freedom."

"Maybe you should try to control them a little bit more, don't you think?"

Kagome smiled at her friend's comment. Maybe she was right but she couldn't. She didn't dare. Somehow, the way they acted gave her so much joy. They brought that 'spark' of life to the house, that when it was just her and her mother, it had seemed like something like that could never exist.

Sometime latter, they were all at the table, eating. Inuyasha was devouring a piece of turkey and so was Shippo. The others just smiled while watching them, those two looked like little children.

"Your manners, Inuyasha" Kagome tried to suggest, but the only response she got was another 'Keh!' from the hanyou, who kept eating as if he had never eaten in his whole life.

"Done, I'm finished! Presents!" yelled Shippo, running out of the kitchen to the living room.

"You can't open them until we're all in the living room!"

"I'll separate the ones that are mine!"

They all smiled, tenderly. Shippo had told them that because of the constant travels, with Kei, they hadn't celebrated Christmas properly. Sometimes they would dine in some restaurant and others they would be able to exchange a gift between them, but nothing more. Sometimes they even had dinner on a plane. Kei was right, Shippo needed to live in a stable home, and of course the happiness of the little boy was endless. The energy wouldn't drain out from him at all.

Inuyasha finished eating and picked up his and Shippo's plates. He left them in the sink and started to go upstairs.

"Hey! Where do you think you're going, Inuyasha?" called Miroku. "The party's not over."

Inuyasha watched them, confused.

"Shouldn't I go to my room so you can talk freely?"

Sango, Kagome and Ms. Higurashi stared at him in confusion, not understanding. Miroku shook his head and stood up.

"This isn't Lady Kaede's house. If she asked us to leave it was because you and Kouga couldn't spend some time together without fighting and old people tend to get tired easily. But this is a new place and the situation is different, besides, don't you want to open your first Christmas present?"

Kagome felt her heart sink to her feet. Hadn't they ever celebrated Christmas, as it should be? Being with family, sharing gifts, with carols, with any of that?

"I don't think I will receive-"

"Inuyasha, it's not fair, you have more presents than me!" yelled Shippo, sobbing from the living room, and everyone went to him.

Shippo had three gifts besides him and a small tower of four gifts in front of him, all for Inuyasha. The little child couldn't believe it. Ms. Higurashi smiled tenderly and went to the gifts for Inuyasha, taking one from the pile.

"Shippo, this gift is yours and Inuyasha's, see?" the woman showed him the label that read: "For Inuyasha and Shippo" so the smile returned to the kid's face.

"Then we both have four presents!"

Inuyasha was in shock, there was a present for him? With Lady Kaede they just wished each other a Merry Christmas, got dinner and left to their rooms. This was so weird! He felt like something inside of him exploded, he didn't know what, it was such a small thing, that was against all his beliefs. He suddenly felt like crying a little, but of course he wouldn't, he was a man.

Sango approached the gifts Shippo had already separated and, taking the ones that were for her, started to opening them. Shippo went along.

Ms. Higurashi asked them to keep hers and went to the kitchen to clean.

"Here, Inuyasha. These are yours." Kagome said as she pointed besides herself asking him to sit besides her, and he, still a bit surprised, obeyed. "This one is from Sango, this one from Miroku and one from Mr. Kei." She said, passing him the three packages, which Inuyasha took very carefully, trying not to damage them.

"What is this supposed to-?"

"A spinning top!" yelled Shippo, speaking of the toy, his present, from Kei. "I can't believe he remembered it! He had promised to give me one this year!"

It was happiness. In that moment, Inuyasha understood the feeling that was filling him completely inside. He was happy. The hanyou looked at the pine, and at Sango kneeling besides it, with Miroku sitting next to her, both of them opening their own gifts and talking about who-knows-what. Then to Shippo, who was sitting in front of the nativity decoration, exclaiming with happiness each new present he opened. Kagome was sitting beside him she was calm while opening her own presents, and still he found himself unable to entirely react.

"Inuyasha, aren't you going to open them?"

He awoke from his trance and looked at Kagome who was studying him, worried. He smiled and began to rip the wrapping of the first one, discovering with surprise that the present from Sango was a small and fluffy cap ideal for those cold weather days. He looked completely confused at the young girl who smiled at him.

"Miroku told me that your ears are very sensitive. I thought that if you wore a cap you wouldn't have much trouble with the cold or wind. It's made of a thick fabric, and it's very soft, that way it's comfortable and keeps you warm."

Inuyasha couldn't help but smile, and immediately placed the cap, which was red like his clothes, on his head, covering his ears. Sango was right, it was comfortable.

"Thank you, Sango" he said, his eyes softening. She smiled in response and continued chatting with Miroku. Kagome couldn't help but feel excited. Inuyasha had finally lost that irrational hate he used to feel towards Sango. Maybe, with time, the young man would be able to learn to forgive.

Miroku's present was a book about the Sengoku and the gift from Kei was a white, fluffy scarf.

After that they talked for a while, Sango and Miroku left for their house sometime past midnight. Shippo had fallen asleep in the living room, in the middle of his presents (the spinning top from Kei, a toy riding horse from Miroku and a cap similar to the one Inuyasha had, with a variety of cartoons as its pattern, giving it a nice and fun look, from Sango). Ms. Higurashi's present for Inuyasha and Shippo was a pair of hand-knit sweaters. One for each one.

Inuyasha was once again in the room, looking at the sky from the balcony. His presents were placed on the top bunk of the bed, except for his hat, which he still had on his head. This time he was calm and quiet, looking up at the starry in the night.

Kagome entered the room a bit later, carrying her presents. She also left them on the bed. The girl was a bit worried seeing him there again in that spot. A few days ago she had found him on the balcony, and things hadn't gone very well. At that moment, Inuyasha decided to enter the room and close the balcony's glass doors behind him. It had started snowing and he didn't want the room to get cold.

"My mom already went to sleep and Shippo didn't want to wake up, so I left him some blankets so he can sleep comfortably."

"Keh, that runt can sleep anywhere… his energy finally abandoned him, right?"

Kagome smiled and nodded. It was natural that, after so many emotions, the little kid would just pass out like that.

"By the way," The girl stood up and got a small black box from her drawer. "Don't let Shippo know about this, otherwise he'll kill me" she joked.

She held the packet out to Inuyasha, who took it not understanding.

"It's a present, from me… to you."

Inuyasha looked at Kagome intently then glanced at the package in his hands. She would just never cease to amaze him.

"Can I open it?"

"Of course" she said nodding her head. Inuyasha sat down on the bed and opened the box.  
>Inside was a necklace made with purple beads and something that resembled white fangs. It looked ancient and strong, yet it seemed to shine under the moon's light, as if it were made of crystals or something like that.<p>

"This necklace belonged to my father. He liked to wear it, he used to say that it was ancient, that's why we always took good care of it… I thought you would like it."

"I can't accept it."

"What?"

"This object is a memory of your father, Kagome. I can't accept it." Said the young hanyou, attempting to return the box to her.

Kagome shook her head and pushed the package back to Inuyasha.

"This is a gift that I want to give you. It's from me to you. You will accept it because you will accept it." She said, not really knowing what else to say.

Inuyasha took the necklace carefully from the box. He was surprised at the strength of the beads and finally he looked over at the girl sitting next to him again.

"Are you sure it's ok?"

"Of course." Kagome took the necklace from Inuyasha's hands and, carefully, pulled it over his head, finally letting it rest on Inuyasha's neck. She then took his hair and pulled it off of the necklace. When Inuyasha felt her hands touch him, he had remained still, feeling Kagome as she was pacing then fixing the necklace, always being very carefully, as if she were afraid of hurting him.

That was impossible, she would never hurt him. He had finally understood that.

"Merry Christmas, Inuyasha" she said, hugging him at the end. That action alone made him feel awkward again, just like that day when she had resurrected him, and hugged him in the kitchen when he had entered. She was glad that he was okay. What was he supposed to do now? Just then, he remembered his mother. When he was very young his mother used to hug him that way. And what had he done then?

"Merry Christmas… Kagome" He finally whispered, shaking himself out of his shock and wrapping his arms around the girl, allowing her head to rest on his shoulder. When he didn't feel rejection from her he laid his own head over hers and held that position for a while. It felt so good, he felt calm, as if he didn't needed anything anymore. Now he could tell. He was truly happy. He allowed a couple of tears to escape in the middle of the darkness, making sure that Kagome wouldn't notice.

Fine, ok, maybe a man was allowed to cry, even more so when what they were given was vastly superior to anything they had expected in their whole life.

"Shippo will kill me once he finds out that I got more presents than him, right?" Kagome laughed at that comment from Inuyasha.


	4. Appearances

**Update February 2015**: This is a revised chapter. I believe my english is better now than back in 2011-2012... or at least now I can read this fic in english and say: "That doesn't sound right..." hehehe...

**Author notes: **First of all, thank you so much to Pandastarz and A.B. Plasencia for their marvelous help being my beta readers ^^ I'm really grateful, thanks for the advices and corrections! X3 I hope not to disturb you so much with future chapters ^^U

And well, here's chapter 4 I hope you like it and please, remember, everything happens in here for a reason! =3 Anyway, I'll not distract you anymore ^^ thanks for your alerts, reviews and reads!

**Disclaimer**: Besides the plot line, I don't own anything. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Yomiuri TV Corporation. I'm not getting any profit from this story; this was just made for fun.

**Warning**: Once in a while there will be cursing. I'm not familiarized with the english dub of this series, but I don't think it's so much, because I honestly don't like bad words but sometimes they happen. You understand me, right? :3

**Thanks to**: petpeeves12 and A.B. Plasencia for your help when I was uploading this fic, for your corrections and beta work!

* * *

><p><strong>Slavery.<br>****Author: **MikoAucarod

Chapter 4. Appearances.

* * *

><p>Cold. She was freezing. She couldn't remember ever being so cold since they began living in that apartment. Jeez, then the news was right, this year they would be facing the coldest winter in the last twenty years.<p>

It was so frustrating.

Kagome moved under her covers, hugging herself and hiding her head between her knees. It was so cold, she couldn't sleep.

"Would you stop complaining? We can't sleep," She heard someone say from some part of the room.

"Inuyasha, do you want to switch beds?" she asked, shaking with cold. This was the first time, in almost a month, since they had been living together, that she was willing to give him the top bunk.

"What's the catch?"

"I'm cold," She whispered, as if she were a little girl, hiding deeper under the covers. The young woman heard a soft laugh coming from him, something between arrogant and moved, as if what she said was funny.

"Fine. But the upper bed will be mine starting today until the end of February."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, just please, let's switch beds now." Begged the young girl, shaking vigorously. Then she felt him remove the cover from her head, and a cold breeze entered the little cocoon that she had built around herself. Inuyasha's warm breath appeared so close to her, she shivered even more.

"Damn it, Kagome, you're so pale," he scolded before scooping her up into his arms, with the covers still around her. If she had been less sleepy she would have said or done something in protest, she couldn't deny that Inuyasha's presence, so close to her, always made her nervous. But at that moment, when she felt his warm body so close to hers, all she wanted to do was to wrap herself around him seeking comfort.

Wait a minute, how could he be so sure that she was pale if the room was completely dark? She couldn't see his face, all she could see was a black silhouette, thanks to the dull light coming from the balcony window.

Outside she could see a downpour of snow and ice falling. So that's why she was freezing.

"What time is it?"

"It's not dark yet, Kagome. It's not even eight o' clock."

That's when she remembered what had happened earlier that day. All the lights in the house had gone out because of the storm that had started at noon, and her mother had told them to go to bed early. She wondered, what the hell was her mother thinking, sending them to bed at 6pm? The storm was so strong that by three o' clock it had looked to be nightfall.

"I love snow, but when it's this much it feels more like torture," she whispered, lost in thought, making Inuyasha laugh again, softly. She felt his chest vibrate because of it. Hold on, why hadn't he let her go?

It was then when she noticed that he was walking down the stairs, towards the living room. Fearing to fall, she wrapped her arms around Inuyasha's neck, careful to not accidentally cause the shackle fall off. Speaking of shackles, she could feel the cold steel, and it worried her. If she was freezing then he, with that thing around his neck, probably felt worse.

"Don't worry, I can see perfectly. We're not going to crash into anything and I won't let you fall." he said, guessing as to why she had tensed.

"It's not just that…" Kagome relaxed realizing that he, at least, appeared to be telling the truth. "Don't you feel cold?"

"Not much." then they fell silent again.

Inuyasha put Kagome on the couch, while he went to light a fire in the fireplace. She looked really cold and he had to find some way to warm her up.

"Do you think your mother will get mad if I use the kitchen for a minute?" he asked a few seconds later, after making sure that the fire was warm enough for Kagome.

The girl shook her head and got closer to the fire. She sat in front of it, watching the logs crackle. Inuyasha walked into the kitchen, returning a few minutes later with two steaming cups. He handed one to Kagome.

"Drink it, it'll make you feel better. Don't let it get too cold."

Kagome took it and, without even knowing what it was, took a sip, savoring the delicious taste of cinnamon as it filled her mouth.

"Is this… chocolate?"

Inuyasha took a seat beside her, drank from his own cup then sighed and relaxed.

"Yup, it's chocolate with a dash of cinnamon. I don't know why, but it helps. Kaede used to ask me to make her some every winter night, that's why I thought it would help you." He told her, watching with satisfaction as a soft blush began to creep over her face once more.

"It's very effective." She concluded, taking another sip. "I love it, thank you, Inuyasha" she smiled, looking over at him. The moment she saw his face all trace of her smile disappeared and she turned pale again. She hadn't seen him since that afternoon, and he…

"What?" He asked noticing the look she was giving him, he couldn't help but worry when he noted how pale had she gone again. As if she had seen a ghost…

It was then that he realized. Damn, what day was it? How could it be that out of all the nights of the month she had to see him on precisely that night.

"Inuyasha, what- what's happening to you?"

"It's nothing, Kagome. Don't wor-"

"But you're bleeding!"

"I already told you it's nothing, and keep your voice down. Or do you want your mother to wake up?"

Inuyasha stood up and walked around the room until he found a corner away from the carpet. He had completely forgotten to count the days of the month and now, because of his neglect, Kagome…

"Why is that happening to you?"

Inuyasha sighed angrily, while looking at her. He couldn't blame her for being scared, but the stare she was giving him made him think that she felt that at any moment he would collapse completely.

"First of all, don't cry or make a big deal out of it. Even if doesn't look like it I feel perfectly fine. This happens every month, on the anniversary of my death."

The hanyou looked the same as always, except for a big patch of blood on his chest and another on his head dripping down his left cheek and on to his shoulder. Now that she could examine him better, thanks to the firelight, she noticed that his skin had a green color, as if he was poisoned.

"This is how I looked like when I died," he continued, watching Kagome closely, noticing the concern in her eyes. "Don't worry, nothing is happening to me right now at this moment, it's just…" Inuyasha struggled for the right words to say so he could explain it to her. "Imagine as if I were wearing a disguise, this was how I looked when I died. But I'm not poisoned, or hurt, or anything.

"You were poisoned?" she asked hoarsely.

Damn, he'd said too much.

Kagome stood up and walked over to him. As she moved she noticed that the covers wrapped around her were clean and there was no traces of blood on the carpet. She could even bet that the kitchen was impeccable, as always. She herself was clean, even though he had carried her against his chest, she had touched him without feeling anything.

"Why am I not-?"

"I hadn't started to bleed when I carried you. I also finished making the chocolate before that. I started bleeding only until I sat beside you. It just got dark."

"Does this only happen at night?"

"Yes, only during the nights on the day I got killed, every month. On my anniversary it's worse," he said with a slightly bitter smile, but when he noticed Kagome's gaze he realized he had said too much again.

"W-worse?"

"I become unconscious, along with all the other symptoms and injuries and blah blah blah," he said, as if dismissing the matter. It was uncomfortable to talk about.

"But if you-!"

"Keep your voice low," he said again, always keeping his voice slightly above a whisper.

Kagome tried to calm down and finally she knelt beside him. Pulling her hand out from under the covers she touched his cheek withdrawing blood from there. Instantly more blood emerged from his face, staining him again.

"You'll bleed until you die, if it continues like this…"

"I already told you that nothing is happening to me, at least not today. It just looks like it. You can't change that."

"What happened to you? Can you tell me about it?"

"Is that an order?" he asked, angrily. Was she pretending to take advantage of her power, as his owner, and force him to relive his past?

Kagome looked down and stared at the floor. Slight streaks of blood were beginning to form around the hanyou's body as it fell from his face and chest. She felt so much pain, despair and sadness. She felt so helpless unable to help him, not knowing the truth of his past… but she shook her head and silently continued drinking her chocolate.

Inuyasha stared at her, shocked. Kaede had practically forced him to tell her everything with detail. But then again, he couldn't blame her, she had only been 8 years old when she had found him. Even so she'd still taken advantage of her power… but, Kagome…

"Believe me, it'll be better if you don't know." He said, calmly, while watching the fire.

"I just want to help you…"

"No one can do anything about it, Kagome. It happened 500 years ago. You can't change the past, and wipe that look of pity and compassion of your face. I don't like it." He said, a bit roughly. Damn it, that girl made him lose his patience all the time.

Kagome didn't look up, she was lost in thought. She didn't know how long they had sat there in silence, facing each other.

"Are you better now?" Inuyasha asked suddenly, making her jump, as she looked up at him in disbelief. What did he mean by 'better'? He was the one who looked fatal. "I mean, you're not cold anymore, are you?"

Kagome couldn't help but feel bad. She had been so lost in her thoughts and emotions that she had completely forgotten about the storm outside and the coldness of it in her. Yet, Inuyasha hadn't forgotten. He never stopped worrying about her, even when he was…

"No. I feel better," she said, with a small smile. The hanyou nodded and turned to watch the fire.

He knew she felt bad but he couldn't do anything about it. What if he just told her? That would bring her more pain and suffering, he'd grown to know her so well, in that small amount of time, he had learned to recognize all of her gestures and manners. She felt other's pain as if it was hers…

… And he didn't want to cause her pain.

"You should go to sleep. If you don't want to go back to the room, you can lay down over the couch, at least it's warm."

Seconds later, he felt Kagome's cover draping over him, and looked over at her, shocked. Kagome was smiling, with sadness in her eyes. Even without knowing his past, without knowing about his death, she too had learned to read his gestures and manners, and at that moment she had noticed something very important in his eyes…

"I have no intention of leaving you alone tonight."

The girl sat beside him and placed her head on his shoulder. Inuyasha stared at her, completely surprised… she sat at his left side. She didn't care if her clothes or body were stained with his blood. She had placed herself there.

Kagome hesitated a few seconds, but in the end she lifted her hand and placed it over his heart. She could feel, through his clothes, a small bump on his skin. She didn't ask, but left her hand, right there. What had happened to him?

"It was a witch…"

Kagome lifted her eyes, fearing she had made him uncomfortable, but his eyes were calm. Even under all that blood she could see his stare, intent and steady, as always, but this time… he was truly calm.

He would definitely never stop being surprised by Kagome.

Inuyasha moved the cover draping it over Kagome as well, that way, both of them were protected against the cold. Then, he opened his haori a bit, and showed Kagome what she had asked to see, without the need of words.

The young girl covered her mouth with her hands when she saw some kind of scar bulging on his chest. It looked like burnt flesh, and it seemed that under the flesh there was something rotting… and it was right above his heart.

"This is the curse that she placed on me…"

"Who?"

"Tsubaki, the daughter of the lord of the area where I lived. She was obsessed with me, I rejected her, so she sent guards to attack me. I defeated them and escaped but she threw her curse at me. If I had known sooner that she practiced witchcraft, I would have killed her since the beginning."

"Then, those injuries…"

Inuyasha searched Kagome's face, and all he could see was worry. He could even feel it.

"I'll tell you what happened…"

* * *

><p>"Feh! Stupid guards, they're so weak!" exclaimed the young hanyou, running through the forest. He didn't plan on staying in that area much longer. It was easy to defend himself, but it was annoying.<p>

Then he felt as if a small stone had hit his chest and stopped. What had that been?  
>He opened his haori a bit and saw, with disgust, some sort of big worm biting his chest. He tried to cut it out with his claws, but the thing regenerated itself with tremendous speed and it wouldn't let go of his skin.<p>

"Damn worm!" he yelled while aunching another attack. He could feel it, his instincts were warning him, if he didn't get rid of that thing…

In the midst of his frustration, he wounded himself with his claws, on his chest and his left shoulder. He knelt slightly.

"Damn… You should control your strength better, Inuyasha." he told himself, watching the insect had disappeared at last and he didn't have that strangled feeling anymore.

The hanyou, taking a gently hold of his shoulder with his right hand, started running again upon hearing the remaining soldiers trying to find him, not so far away.

It was then that he felt it.

He turned just in time to prevent an arrow from embedded it self in his head, but it managed to graze is forehead, causing him to bleed.

"Damn it, Tsubaki, don't be a coward and come out!"

He heard her malicious laughter and saw her coming out from in-between some trees, with some sort of small sphere in her hands.

"My dear Inuyasha, that's no way to treat the daughter of a lord. Oh well, I'll make sure to educate you properly." Tsubaki stared at the sphere between her hands and began to recite an incantation in a language unknown to Inuyasha.

"What the…?" Inuyasha trailed off when he felt a sharp pain in his chest. I made him scream in agony and fell to the floor. Moving his hand to his heart, he opened up his clothes and saw, with horror and disgust, that the skin where the worm had been was beginning to rot.

"Thanks to your lack of patience and tact, when you made yourself that wound it allowed my curse to enter your body so much faster and attack your heart. There's nothing you can do, my dear Inuyasha" she said, maliciously. Her face had an almost psychotic smile.

Inuyasha's vision started to blur as he felt an excruciating pain run through out his body. He knew it was the end, and it was very humiliating… he just wanted it all to stop.

Then… everything went dark.

* * *

><p>"The next think I knew I was in Tsubaki's arms, I was her Slave. She bragged to the whole world about me as if I were some kind of trophy."<p>

He didn't remember the exact moment when it had happened, but Kagome was hugging him again.

"I'm so sorry, Inuyasha…"

Strangely enough, he felt a bit better. With his right hand he started to stroke the girl's head, with great care. Her hair got tangled in his fingers and he became afraid of cutting it with his claws, but fortunately nothing happened.

He didn't know what to say, tell her to not worry? Tell her that it was something from the past? He couldn't. He himself regretted not being able to do anything to defend himself…

"… And that's the end of my tragic death." He said in a mocking tone, as an attempt to calm the girl, but she only clung closer to his chest, however, she wasn't crying. "Kagome, you're going to mess-"

"I don't care…" she said, with the front of his haori in her hands, squeezing tightly.

"Silly girl."

He… He didn't know what else to say… he didn't know how to react to her actions.

* * *

><p>The sun was bothering him, so he drowsily opened one of his eyes and moved his ears, as always, listening to everything around him.<p>

Kagome was still asleep, leaning on his chest. He looked at her gratefully. She could have left his side at any moment and yet she didn't. Dried blood was all over her face, clothes and hands, while he appeared as usual, with not a hint of blood. That's why he had asked her to let go, but she had ignored him.

Inuyasha took her gently in his arms and went quickly to the bathroom, before her mother or Shippo woke up and made a tremendous scandal. Fortunately for him, it was still early and no one inside the house was awake, yet.

The hanyou entered the bathroom and shook Kagome slightly, causing her to grumble in her sleep.

"Kagome, you must wake up, you need to take a shower before your mother wakes up."

"Five more minutes…"

"No can do. Get up, Kagome."

"I don't want to…"

"Kagome, you have to clean yourself." He was beginning to lose patience. "Don't make me throw you in the tub and turn the cold water on."

"I dare you," she answered, half-awake, in a challenging tone.

That was a mistake.

Inuyasha closed his eyes in fear as he felt some kind of magical strenght forcing him to obey what the girl had ordered him to do. The young hanyou threw Kagome into the tub and turned the water on, which fell with force against the girl who screamed, stood up as soon as she could and quickly got out.

"What's wrong with you?!"

"You ordered me to!" Inuyasha responded in self-defense, "I can't ignore any order you give me!"

"I was asleep! An order given when someone is sleeping isn't valid! And you know it!"

"You were half-awake! You were conscious! I can't control it!"

She grumbled, staring at him with a frown. Then she saw herself in the mirror and realized what a disaster she was. She would definitely never wear those pajamas again, they were completely stained with blood. All her anger dissipated when she saw Inuyasha again and noticed that he didn't have a single spot or wound. Nothing. He looked perfect as always.

"You didn't lie when you said that I would get dirty… but this is exaggerating, Inuyasha."

He looked down, slightly uncomfortable.

"Come on, hurry up before you get in trouble," he said before leaving the bathroom.

* * *

><p>"Oh, no!" exclaimed Ms. Higurashi from the kitchen. "Kagome!"<p>

"Let Inuyasha do it!"

"And why must I do it?!"

The woman appeared at the doorway to the living room to see the two of them sitting, watching the half visible screen of the TV peeking from behind the Christmas tree, while Shippo was playing with his toy horse.

"Sweetie, Inuyasha doesn't know our neighbors. I need you to get me a bit of sugar, go with one of them and ask them to give you some, please."

The girl sighed and stood up, but Inuyasha followed her closely as they left the apartment. Ms. Higurashi couldn't help but smile as she went back to her chores in the kitchen.

"If you didn't want to come, why are you following me?" she asked.

"It's boring to just watch TV… at least this way I'm not locked in at home."

"I told you that you could go to the forest whenever you wanted to. It's not necessary for you to be with me all the time."

Inuyasha didn't answer. He knew and remembered her words very well but, for some strange reason, if he went to the forest alone he felt devastated. It reminded him of those times, hundreds of years ago, before he had became a Slave. He had always been alone.

"Feh!" was all he said. He was also curious to find out from which apartment came those fights and the consequential crying, from almost every night.

* * *

><p>"Thank you so much, Mr. Myouga. Whenever you need something, please don't hesitate to ask us."<p>

"Hehehe, it's no big deal, young Kagome. Say hello to your mother for me."

"Of course." The girl smiled and left the apartment, and went to where Inuyasha was waiting for her, leaning against the corridor wall.

"Hey Kagome, besides the old Totousai and old Myouga, what other neighbors do you have?"

She thought about it.

"I only know the two of them." Kagome noticed Inuyasha's confusion and explained, "In this building there're a lot of departments, but only four of them are in use. We live in the apartment of the first floor, which we merged with the one above it, so you can say that we live on the first and second floors. The third floor is empty. On the forth floor lives the manager, Mr. Totousai and in the fifth floor, on the other side of the building, lives Mr. Myouga. I know that someone else lives in the sixth floor since I have seen mail in the mailbox but I don't know who it is."

'_That one should be it, then,'_ Inuyasha thought. He was worried about the constant fights and screams that he heard and now he understood why no one else seemed to notice.

"Is something wrong, Inuyasha?"

"Do you want to go and see?" he asked in response. She nodded, thinking that her mother could wait a few more minutes.

But when they arrived to the sixth floor landing, they heard the loud shouting of insults and claims from a man and then they watched in horror as a girl fell down the stairs, towards them.

Inuyasha didn't hesitate. In less than a second he jumped the stretch between them to prevent more injuries to the woman. She seemed to already have a lot of them.

Kagome stood still, staring horrified at the person in Inuyasha's arms. He was also staring, in no less concerned horror than Kagome, at the girl lying unconscious in his arms.

What was Kikyo doing in this place?


	5. Damn!

**Author notes: **I'm so sorry for being late with the chapter, I got flu ~_~ and it's really bothersome… Oh, and this chapter is really complicated… I didn't loved it, honestly but I dreamt the last scene of this chapter and… well it was impossible to not write it this way. I hope you won't judge me and I'll like to know what you think about it. Thanks to all my reviewers, readers and thanks for all your alerts ^^

**Disclaimer**: Besides the plot line, I don't own anything. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Yomiuri TV Corporation. I'm not getting any profit from this story; this was just made for fun.

**Warning**: Maybe there is bad language? I'm not so sure what you consider bad language...

^^U

**Thanks to**: Thanks to my beta reader, PandaStarz and A.B. Plasencia, for their wonderful work on this chapter.

* * *

><p><strong>Slavery.<br>****Author: **MikoAucarod

Chapter 5. _'Damn…!'_

* * *

><p>His first thought was <em>'what the hell?' <em>the next one_ 'Drop her. Don't let her touch you.' _But then he noticed Kagome's worried eyes, and her concern for the girl then he thought _'Get out of here, the three of you, now!'_

Inuyasha obeyed his subconscious' last order.

Up till then he had been kneeling, so he stood up with Kikyo securely in his arms and walked to Kagome. She could see Kikyo's condition with more detail.

"Why is she like that?" She asked, in a low voice. She couldn't believe that the most popular girl in school could live in a place as humble as this, even less that she could be in that feeble condition.

Inuyasha didn't need to ask, ever since he first moved in he had heard, every night, the fights, the yelling… the crying.

None of them had yet recovered from the shock, when the hanyou could literally feel the presence of a man approaching. Immediately he placed Kikyo on the floor, and placed himself in front of her and Kagome. There standing in front of them was a man reeking of alcohol.

He had long, messy, black hair, his skin was pale and he walked unsteadily. He looked at the girls, then at Inuyasha. Finally, he snorted and threw a trash bag at them, which the young hanyou then swiftly caught, it contained clothes.

"Tell that stupid girl that I don't want to ever see her in my house again. Ever." He turned around and walked back through the corridor to his apartment. A few seconds later they heard a door slamming close with a loud bang.

"Wha-what was that?" Kagome asked, completely disturbed. Inuyasha was speechless. Kikyo then began to awaken, shifting slowly, letting out low moans of pain. She stared at them, disoriented. "Kikyo, are you all right?"

She couldn't answer because at that moment she began to cough roughly in a way that made her spit up blood.

* * *

><p>"It sure took you long enough to come back, what hap-?" Ms. Higurashi froze in shock at the doorway, staring at the unconscious girl in Inuyasha's arms. "Get her upstairs, Inuyasha. Shippo, bring me the first aid kit! Kagome… please leave the sugar on the kitchen counter and bring me some bandages and gauze."<p>

Inuyasha took her to the room he shared with Kagome and Shippo, and placed the girl on the young kitzune's bed.

"Now I understand what your eyes were trying to telling us the day of the auction," he whispered to himself while he studied the condition of the woman. "That sickening stare that you had… was screaming for only one thing, wasn't it? You were planning on only give us one order, weren't you?" Inuyasha's eyes darkened as he stood up to leave the room.

"D-don't. St-stay… by my side…"

* * *

><p>When Kagome and her mother entered the room, Inuyasha was sitting on the floor beside the bed with an extremely annoyed expression on his face. Kikyo seemed to be sleeping, and he was holding her hand.<p>

"What happened, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, with a mixture of emotions, confusion and… was she angry?

"It happens that this shackle is broken, Kagome" answered Inuyasha, obviously uncomfortable. "As I was leaving, this girl regained consciousness for a moment and told me to stay. I haven't been able to move since."

"Inuyasha, darling, don't be offended but," Ms. Higurashi began smiling softly while approaching them to take care of Kikyo, "you're very sensitive towards this women's suffering."

"That has nothing to do with this," he snorted annoyingly, looking to the other side of the room. "If I could I would move from here, but I can't!"

Inuyasha tried to stand up but when he did so, the stone on his shackle began to glow and made him sit back down beside Kikyo. That made both Kagome and her mother stare at him in confusion.

A few seconds later, Ms. Higurashi's eyes widened in realization.

"It can't be…" She kneeled beside Kikyo and removed the hair from her face. Then she cleaned it a bit, and gasped in surprise. She studied her face, on the verge of tears. "I thought she had died…"

"Mom?"

"Kagome… she's Kikyo… your cousin, Kikyo."

"She's my what?"

"I had a sister, Sonomi. She and her husband had a daughter, named Kikyo they lived in America, because of their work. So many years ago, you weren't even 5 years old, I heard in the news, about their deaths. I tried to reach Kikyo then, to see if she was all right but I never got a response, that's why I had thought that she too was…" Kagome's mother trailed off and then looked at Kagome. "I believe that would explain why you look a lot a like."

Inuyasha 'keh-ed' incredulously then looked at Kikyo, then at Kagome, who was still in shock, then back at Kikyo again finally his eyes landed on Ms. Higurashi.

"They don't look alike at all," he stated, angry.

"Maybe not in her nature, dear. I can tell for your reaction that you already know her. But anyway, the most important thing right now is to help her. Once she wakes up we'll see what she has to say. Inuyasha, honey, get out of here, you're blocking my way." Inuyasha immediately let go of Kikyo's hand and jumped into the air landing on the top bunk on the other side of the room, completely disgusted.

"Then, when she ordered me to stay…"

"The shackle reacted because she's directly related to Kagome." Stated Ms. Higurashi, while healing and cleaning Kikyo's injuries.

When Kagome noticed that her mother didn't need her she climbed the bunk beds and sat beside Inuyasha.

"… What just… what happened?" She asked, still a bit shocked, and looking at Inuyasha, who had a puzzled look on his face. "How did we end up like this?"

* * *

><p>Two months had passed since. School had started again and everything seemed to have return to how it had always been. But now, they had Kikyo in their lives.<p>

She had explained to them that, as Kagome's mother had said, she had lived in Americawith her parents until the age of 5 when, because of an accident both her parents had perished. She really was Sonomi's daughter. They had lost contact with the rest of the family because of all the travels they had made around the world.

Finally, in her parents will, they stated that everything they had was to belong to Kikyo, but it not until she turned eighteen, then she could take possession of her inheritance. Meanwhile, Naraku, an old friend of her father, would be in charge of raising her and administrate all her inheritance. Needless to say, the whole idea had been a disaster.

It took a couple of minutes to calm Ms. Higurashi down, a few more to stop Kikyo from going into madness and order Inuyasha to kill Naraku, three more minutes for Kagome to came up with a plan and finally, two hours later Naraku was arrested, thanks to a call from Ms. Higurashi.

Thanks to the testimony from Kikyo, proof from Ms. Higurashi and papers and documents found in Naraku's apartment, he was jailed for fraud, domestic violence, assault, aggression and other things that had nothing to do with the family, such as possession of drugs and "that kind of stuff" as Ms. Higurashi had said upon her return from court.

Even after all that, what was done was done, so Kikyo found herself with nothing, since Naraku had sold and spent everything her parents had left her. Kagome's mother insisted that Kikyo live with them, but she was only able to persuade her to move into the apartment next to them. It was paid for by Ms. Higurashi and the salary of a part time job Kikyo had gotten at a mall close to the school.

However, the girl spend lot of time at Higurashi's house, but whenever it was time to go to school she left earlier than Kagome and took another route, through the forest.

It was a mystery as to why.

"Kagome, Kikyo, you're going to be late!" yelled Ms. Higurashi from some were in the house.

"We're going," answered Kagome, "I swear, all you need is your bed in here. We have plenty of space in this room."

"Why do you say so?" asked Kikyo, handing her the hairbrush then finished applying her make up.

"You're here practically the entire day… It doesn't bother me at all, but you always take a different path to school, you don't talk to me there either. When you have plans with your friends you never allow them to come near the house, don't lie to me, the other day Inuyasha and I saw you pass in a car with some guy somewhere further away from here, and then you came back walking."

Kikyo sighed softly then looked at Kagome, thinking over her response.

"I have a reputation to uphold," she finally said "It's not a lie that I came from a rich family, do you have any idea of the prestige that gives you?"

"No," was her dry answer. "Not if it's a false prestigious, hypocrite who's only achievement is to attract the attention of silly and superficial people."

"Well, those silly and superficial people will be the ones to get me out of this hole I'm stuck in.  
>Kagome sighed, somewhat irritated. Kikyo wasn't a bad person, but she had a temper…<p>

"If you're going out earlier and walking through the forest, get down there for breakfast…"

"Crap, I'm late!" Was the last thing out of Kikyo.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Kagome!"<p>

"Good morning, Sango!" said the teenager to her best friend upon entering the classroom.

"I saw you entering the campus with Inuyasha, where is he?"

"On the roof, like always. Ever since we started classes again Inuyasha has been accompanying me to the school everyday… as if I didn't see him the rest of the day."

"Hahahaha, yeah, something similar happens with me and Miroku." Sango blushed slightly when she thought about that man with weird manners and a golden heart. "Maybe they're talking right now."

"Maybe you're right," smiled Kagome. Then they saw Kikyo enter the classroom with a group of her friends, she took a seat at the back of the class, like always.

"Hey, speaking of weird things. In these three weeks off school we've had, Kikyo hasn't upset you at all, right?"

"Not at all, why do you ask?"

"Well, I've heard rumors… they say she plans on doing something really evil against you. Much more than what she has done to you since you met at the beginning of high school."

Kagome knew very well that it was a lie. Kikyo was weird but she wasn't a bad person, not now that she had gotten to know her. But she couldn't tell Sango that. Her mother had asked her to keep it a secret, that Kikyo had to be the one to tell everyone about their relationship. She understood it. Yes, Kikyo didn't talk to her at school because she didn't want other people to know that they were related, but they could get along reasonably well. She wouldn't do something against her now.

"Don't be silly, maybe she's tired of picking on me and now she'll find someone else to pick on."  
>Sango didn't respond to that, but she just couldn't let it go.<p>

* * *

><p>"That's ridiculous, Miroku. I can assure you that she will never hurt Kagome again, at least not while I'm around."<p>

"Inuyasha, my dear friend, I recommend that you not let your guard down, either way. You must accept, that girl is really weird."

"Miroku's right. If you really care for your owner, don't leave her alone."

"She knows how to take care of herself" was Inuyasha's answer to Miroku and Kouga's comments. It hadn't been an order, Higurashi's family and him had agreed not to tell anyone about Kikyo because she was the one who had to take the first step towards change.

_"That way," _Ms Higurashi had said,_ "she'll know then that she had been mistaken and her redemption will be sincere."_

"It's not that I agree with them, Inuyasha, but you must be careful either way, and I'm not talking about Kikyo," said Sesshomaru, leaning against the railing of the terrace. "I'm talking about that Naraku person. It wouldn't surprise me if he's not working alone. He'll probably send someone to attack you. Stay on guard."

"I will, Sesshomaru, but stop bothering me about it, all of you."

* * *

><p>"I'm home!" Kikyo yelled with a smile, from her apartment. She knew that they would hear her… that specifically someone would hear her.<p>

She left the bags she was carrying on top of her dinner table and went out, in the direction of the apartment that belonged to…

"My family…" she whispered, tenderly.

"Welcome home, Kikyo. Sorry, we can't stay," Said Ms. Higurashi as she left her house with Shippo on her shoulder.

"Where are you going?"

"She's taking me to the Amusement Park!" exclaimed Shippo, with a big smile.

"Since he's been a really good boy I plan to give him a big reward. We'll be back tonight, can you tell Kagome, please?"

"Of course, auntie," said Kikyo, as she smiled at Shippo's excitement. "Where is she?"

"She called, Sango kidnapped her again for shopping. Inuyasha is in the living room watching TV."

"Ok I'll tell her, then. Don't worry."

"Thank you, sweetheart. Take care." She smiled at her one last time and left with Shippo.

Kikyo entered the apartment were, of course Inuyasha was sitting on the couch with a bored expression.

"Shouldn't you be taking care of Kagome?" She asked, walking to the kitchen.

"She went out with her friends and they had Miroku, Kouga and Sesshomaru with them. They don't really need me, so I decided to rest for a while." That wasn't a total lie and he was tired of the constant insults of Kouga, the tireless warnings from Sesshomaru and the foolishness things that Miroku liked to do. Besides, go shopping with girls? God no, he was a man… well, half-breed… Male! He was male. End of discussion.

Kikyo served herself a cup of coffee, returned to the living room and took a seat beside Inuyasha, who didn't care. Over time he had become accustomed to her presence.

"Tell me, Inuyasha," she began, drinking from her coffee. "Do you think I'm a hypocrite?"

"Yes" he answered dryly. He wasn't going to lie to her. Correction, he couldn't lie.

"… D-do you think that someone could love me for being myself?"

"I have no doubt that in some place somewhere you will find someone. But if you don't let them see who you really are, that will never happen."

Kikyo clutched a hand over her heart, while with the other one she was squeezing her skirt for moment and looked over at Inuyasha with a light blush on her face.

"Could you ever love me?"

That question puzzled Inuyasha. Once, long ago, Tsubaki had asked him something similar.

"No."

"Why not? I could always order you to love me, right?"

Inuyasha release a slight and a dismal chuckle.

"One advantage of this," he said, gesturing to the shackle, "is that no matter what kind of orders you give me, I can't be forced to love someone. You can't rule over the heart."

Kikyo stared at the floor suddenly feeling insulted. In some ways she was confessing her feelings to him and he… he appeared not to care…

"But that doesn't stop you from falling in love, does it?"

"No, of course not." Inuyasha got tired of the conversation, took the remote control and began to channel surf.

"Are you in love with Kagome?"

The remote slipped out of his hand and fell to the floor.

"Sorry?"

"I asked if you're in love with Kagome."

Inuyasha stared the floor, with a slight frown.

"I know you can't lie, that's another order that all the Slaves have as a natural law. So, tell me, are you in love with Kagome?" Kikyo started to feel frustrated.

Inuyasha knew that, he couldn't lie. But he wasn't answering because he didn't want to, he didn't answer because he didn't know. Was he in love with Kagome?

"I'm sure that… I really appreciate her… but…" He said, some what disturbed. Crap, he hated to talk about these things.

"But do you love her?"

"I don't know."

"Kiss me."

Inuyasha almost jumped off the couch, trying to get away. Had that been an order? He stood up and tried to ignore the slight struggle that had began to feel in his body, forcing him to stay.

"I'm ordering you, Inuyasha, to kiss me, and not rudely or with any bad feelings towards me. I want you to kiss me and _pretend_ to love me. Kiss me vehemently. I command it."

God damn it, Inuyasha found nothing in it that order that involved his heart directly, he couldn't ignore it. Apparently, that damn shackle had reached the same conclusion, because after hesitating for a second or more, he felt his body began to move towards Kikyo, who had stood up.

The hanyou, delicately and carefully began to remove, with one of his claws, the strands of hair falling over Kikyo's face. His actions not coinciding with his expression because, at that moment, Inuyasha felt frightened, humiliated and used.

Worst thing of all was that… that question about Kagome kept echoing around in his head.

Inuyasha closed his eyes tightly, not wanting to see what was happening. He begged for something to happen to stop the order.

But nothing happened.

He could feel Kikyo's arms go around his neck the moment their lips touched. No. This wasn't right. He had to stop _now! _But his body wouldn't obey his own orders. What kind of body didn't obey its own orders?

He felt a tear of impotence slide down his cheek. He didn't bother pretending he didn't care. He felt so much anger towards himself, towards Kikyo, to whoever had invented the damn Shackle, whoever that was. He just wanted it all to stop _now!_

At that moment the only thing on his mind… the only one phrase haunting his mind… It wasn't until that moment that he had realized that one thing… He truly loved Kagome. He loved her so much that, if he could, he would die the very moment she did. He didn't know how, when or why it had happened. He just knew that it was true.

He loved Kagome with all his soul.

_'Kagome… forgive me,'_ he thought with all his heart, feeling Kikyo keep on kissing him… his body not putting up any resistance, responding to that act that was supposed to be something special and wonderful, but was only bringing him pain.

"What's going on here?" He heard in a faint whisper. He couldn't help opening his eyes, his watery eyes, to look at the only person he would give his life for to prevent her any pain or suffering… yet somehow he felt as if at that moment, he was hurting her, so much.

_'Damn… Kagome…'_

* * *

><p><strong><em>Extra Author notes:<em>**

_And well, here it is, I feel that I must say something extra before finish this chapter. I want to clarify something about Kikyo, and I believe that with this chapter you can understand a bit her behavior. I don't hate Kikyo, actually I see her as a very complex character, I understand why she does some things even if that doesn't justify her actions, but that's how she lives, I hope to explain myself in this one. Explain it in Spanish was difficult enough so imagine how hard it is for me to express myself in another language xD_

_And by the way, don't forget this is an AU, is that why Sesshomaru and Inuyasha aren't brothers, they don't even hate each other, ok? Sessh, for example may change a bit in his character. It won't even be the love triangle Kouga-Kag-Inu because as you should already have noticed, Kouga is more relaxed. I try not to change them so drastically but in order to help the story some things must change. I hope you understand this and let's see what will happen in the next episode ^^_

_Please don't kill me xD have mercy on me. I accept your comments, but believe me when I say that everything in here has a purpose! Even when I was writing this I could understand Kikyo and I try not to use her as the 'ice girl' that they showed in the anime D= but don't forget that this is a InuxKag fanfic! But obviously you won't have them so soon as a couple, hahahaha that'll short a lot the fanfic XDD but don't you think is rather interesting how Kagome will react to this? And how will Inuyasha act now that he's conscious of his love to Kag? I believe that I really should shut up now, or I'll spoil you xDU see you all in the next chapter, entitled "Promise at midnight."_


	6. Promise at Midnight

**Author notes: **I know I was really cruel in the last episode, TT_TT I'm sorry for that and maybe I'm still a bit cruel in this one but I hope that the later half of the episode will be able to make it up for you ^^ Thanks to all of you for your wonderful reviews, and for those who asked me about my flu I'm better, thank you very much =D

Now, this episode is longer than the last ones and it was really, really difficult of explain… that's why it took me more time to translate but finally here's the revised version ^^ I hope you enjoy it. Thanks for your reviews and to all my anonymous readers out there ^^

**Disclaimer**: Besides the plot line, I don't own anything. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Yomiuri TV Corporation. I'm not getting any profit from this story; this was just made for fun.

**Warning**: Maybe there is bad language? I'm not so sure what you consider bad language... ^^U and angst… in this chapter there will be angst.

**Thanks to**: Thanks to my beta reader, PandaStarz and A.B. Plasencia, for their wonderful work on this chapter.

* * *

><p><strong>Slavery.<br>****Author: **MikoAucarod

Chapter 6: Promise at midnight.

* * *

><p>Sango was astonished, Miroku wasn't any better, and Kagome… was shocked.<p>

In front of them, Inuyasha and Kikyo were kissing each other, tenderly. Kikyo was in bliss but Inuyasha, although he was responding to the kiss in the same way as her, he had an expression of anything but love and affection towards the girl in his arms. The stone inside his Shackle glowed constantly, as if he were fighting against it.

"What's going on here?" whispered Sango, stunned. Kagome was in a profound state of shock, and wasn't capable of speech.

The moment Inuyasha opened his eyes and turned his broken gaze to Kagome, Sango and Miroku understood immediately what was happening, however, Kagome just turned and ran out.

"Wait, Kagome!" Exclaimed the half-demon, releasing himself from Kikyo's grasp with superhuman strength and pursued the fleeing girl. He hadn't taken four steps when a potent and indescribable pain coursed through his entire body, and he fell.

The stone shone so brightly that it hurt to look at it. Inuyasha twitched uncontrollably from the pain. Before long, his suffering caused him to scream out in pain, he couldn't bear it. He felt as if he were being ripped limb from limb, he felt as if he was dying.

"Kikyo! Order him to stop!" exclaimed Miroku, approaching the hanyou and trying to prevent him from getting hurt due to his involuntary movements seeking escape from the pain.

But Kikyo was stunned. The second that he'd gotten away from her she felt her heart begin to brake into a thousand tiny fragments. She then realized what she'd done and felt miserable. Hearing his screams… just traumatized her. She couldn't react.

"Kikyo! Tell him to stop! Cancel your order!" Sango yelled, shaking her by her shoulders.

"Inuyasha, stop!" they heard Kagome's mother scream. At that very instant the stone stopped shining and Inuyasha lay on the floor, gasping for air trying to calm down.

Ms. Higurashi was standing in the doorway and judging by her expression, she'd been running. Shippo looked to everyone in the room with a frightened expression. What had just happened? Inuyasha never screamed!

Kikyo reacted then, her eyes filling with tears. She hid her face in her hands and began to cry, begging for forgiveness.

"If you're really sorry," stated Sango coldly, "help us find Kagome."

"But Inuyasha…"

"Miroku," continued the raven haired teen, not allowing Kikyo to speak, "stay behind and look after Inuyasha."

The young monk nodded his head without looking away from the hanyou's body. Then Sango realized what she had said.

"I'm sorry I… I didn't want to order you…"

"No problem," he said, without taking his eyes of the boy, "I would look up to reassure you but…" he smiled lightly and waved a hand, "go and find Miss Kagome."

"Of course."

Sango took Kikyo's arm and pulled her out of the apartment, behind Ms. Higurashi, who had Shippo in her arms, and ran down the road. A few seconds later Kikyo started running alongside them without needing Sango to pull her.

Miroku recited light spells while placing his hand over Inuyasha's back in order to help him recover faster. He knew that he wanted to – no, _needed_ to find Kagome and explain to her what had happened.

"Oh, the trouble you get yourself into, Inuyasha…" Miroku whispered, when he was sure that his friend was recovering.

"Oh, shut up, Miroku…" whispered back the hanyou, opening his eyes, slowly straightening himself. "Stupid shackle. Stupid stone. Stupid me."

"Insulting yourself won't solve anything." Miroku stood up at the same time Inuyasha did and watched him walk to the back door of the apartment. "Inuyasha, Miss Kagome went out from the other doo-"

"She's this way," he interrupted, with confidence. They left the building and started of to the forest.

"Just don't go too fast, they asked me to take care of you so-"

"Keh! I don't need a nanny," he huffed angrily. He wasn't really mad at Miroku, but at that strange salty smell that seemed to be fused with Kagome's scent.

"–And I don't want to watch over you, but I have no other choice," Miroku concluded, walking through the trees as they ventured deeper into the forest.

After a few minutes, Inuyasha stopped and saw a small lake. There, sitting at the side of the lake, was Kagome.

Inuyasha looked at Miroku who sighed with resignation and took a seat at the base of a near by tree.

"All right, but don't go anywhere else. From here I'll be able to watch you but I won't be able to hear anything you say to each other."

Inuyasha nodded, gratefully, and approached the girl. She had been looking at them since a couple of seconds ago.

"If you think I'm crying, it's not true, so don't worry about it."

"I haven't said anything yet, Kagome," he answered, half-mocking, half-serious. He knew very well that, that scent was the scent of fresh tears… why deny it?

The young girl looked out at the lake again and rested her head on her knees.

"Is there something about Kikyo that you should tell me?" she asked, with a tired voice.

"Besides that she forced me to kiss her?" Great, it couldn't be better than this. Now he was going to be interrogated. What if she forced him to tell her the whole truth? Then he would have to tell her that he… he loved her. Crap, it sounded really awkward to think about and it didn't feel the way they describe it, floating on clouds and that kind of stuff. Why didn't he feel that way? Was it because unconsciously he denied himself the truth so he wouldn't hurt Kagome? But wouldn't that just cause him more pain?

"Are you sure that nothing else has happened with Kikyo before this? You two haven't been laughing behind my back? Is there something going on that I should know?"

"No, nothing at all… and stop looking at me like that. You know I can't lie." Fine, he was hiding parts of the truth she wasn't asking him, but he wasn't exactly lying. Besides he was still assimilating the fact that- _'Hell, Kagome looks so cute with that expression.'_

"It's all right, I guess. But I can't understand why Kikyo would do this… maybe she really does hate me…"

"No, she just… she's in a very need of affection." Oh damn it, he couldn't have sounded cheesier. Didn't Kagome realize she was literally pulling information out of him? "She didn't do it with the intention of harming you… she just… she's looking for something…"

"Are you all right? She didn't do anything to hurt you, did she?"

"Only when I got away from her…" God damn it, he must remind himself to tell Kagome to order him not to open his mouth. "I stopped kissing her without being ordered to so, yeah, I felt a horrible pain but I'm fine now." He added noticing how the girl's expression changed from serious and reproaching to a scared one.

"Shit, you're always getting in trouble…" She whispered to the wind, and made him angry.

"It's not as if I'm the one looking for trouble. I didn't ask Kikyo to come on to me."

"Did you like her kiss?"

"No." Good, one point for him. For the first time he adored the inability to lie. There were no doubts in his voice and he even seemed disgusted to remember the fact that he had been used like that. How could anyone think that he could ever have liked that kiss?

Kagome looked at Inuyasha again. His gaze fixed on some point on the lake. He was calm, but obviously uncomfortable. She spent some time examining him. His arms were folded, and were inside the sleeves of the sweater that he had received from Ms. Higurashi. His legs were crossed, Indian style and he had a small tic in his left knee. Releasing a sigh, Kagome laid back in the grass.

"How did you know where I was?"

"I followed your scent."

"Are you some kind of dog?"

"Am I a what?" That question was completely unexpected, in fact he felt it insulting.

"What I mean…" Kagome sat again and looked into his eyes. Inuyasha began to feel slightly embarrassed by her stare, since when had this started happening to him? "Is just that… for example, during the storm you could see me perfectly well, even though you were walking in the dark. You said that you followed my scent and I bet that you could hear the discussions that, Kikyo told us used to happened at her house all the time. Your reflexes, when you're chasing Shippo… as if you could read his movements even before he moves. How do you explain all that?"

Wow, he had to give her credit, nothing had escaped her notice.

"If you've forgotten, I'm a hanyou. My senses are much more enhanced than that of humans."

"Then you are like a doggy."

"Don't call me that, it's humiliating." They both stared out at the lake, again, in silence. Somehow, Inuyasha felt as if things weren't going well, at all.

"I'm really sorry, Kagome… you know that I would never do something like that to hurt you, let alone with Kikyo."

She looked at him again, blushing slightly.

"I know…"

"I'm serious, forgive me."

"There isn't really anything to apologize for…"

"Then… are we ok?" Inuyasha asked again, with his ears down a bit. He felt bad now, he had hurt her, even if she denied it. "Everything… everything will go on as before?"

Kagome sighed, slightly. It wasn't that simple. Normally she was the one who, after some stupid fight, apologized to Inuyasha and now the roles were reversed. She would definitely forgive him, but this wasn't some stupid fight… but…

"I guess it will… honestly, I don't even know why it affected me so much. I mean, you and I have nothing going on between us, beside our friendship."

"And the fact that you're the owner of my life…"

He hadn't been able to stop himself from saying that. Why the hell had he said it? Kagome looked at him, with her eyes opened wide. He had said those words before, but the situation was very different and the intention had been of hate in that moment. But now, it hadn't felt that way at all.

Inuyasha looked at his feet, unable to move. Why had he said that? For a moment he thought that Kagome would be hurt or mad at him, but her shocked expression soon turned into a sincere smile, she then gently shook her head, letting the issue drop. Now she was the one who looked calm and Inuyasha was the sullen one.

To break the uncomfortable silence, Inuyasha stood up and started to walk back to the apartment.

"Your mother and the others must be worried sick, they went to look for you down the road. It'd be better if we go back."

Kagome stood up and followed him back towards the monk. Then they returned to the house.

* * *

><p>"You had me really worried, dear, when we found you on the road and told me that you'll tell Inuyasha so we could all go together, to the amusement park… I never expected to see you run out of the house that way…" said Ms. Higurashi, once they were all, again, in the apartment.<p>

"It was my fault, auntie…" said Kikyo, looking down. "I… I ordered Inuyasha to-"

"I believe there's no need to say what your order was," interrupted Kagome, annoyed. Kikyo looked at her with resentment and regret.

"Stop it, I know! But I couldn't help but want at least a part of everything you have!"

When she confessed that, everyone looked at her, surprised. Kikyo's face was bathed in tears. She rose from her chair and walked around the room, on the verge of despair.

"You have everything! You have friends who sincerely worry about you! You have a family, a real one! Your mother is awesome! You have Shippo and Inuyasha here with you! They're always with you! You don't have to pretend in order for other people to treat you as more than just scum! You have your own home! You have- You have a perfect life! How do you think I feel about that? For me everything is always a fake! For just an instant… for just a second I wanted…" she trailed off and began to whimper hiding her face in her hands, crying with so much pain. Then she whispered, "…all I want… I just want someone to love me for who I really am… the only thing I want is to finally be happy…"

So far no one had said anything or moved a muscle. Miroku was the first to move and he went to the desolate girl. He took her in his arms and hugged her while letting her rest her head in his shoulder. Kikyo grabbed the man's shirt and started sobbing louder.

"Just… let it all out," was all Miroku said. Everyone understood the situation perfectly. Even Inuyasha's heart tightened. He knew what it was like to live alone, to face so many problems, and for what? To discover that life has left you homeless? It wasn't fair. It hadn't been fair for him and wasn't for Kikyo now. But, to tell the truth, who decided what was fair and what wasn't?

Kagome approached Kikyo and took a hold of her from one of her shoulders, and made her turn around to face her.

"I understand. I understand it, but… that doesn't justify your behavior. You say that you don't want to live surround by lies, when you're the one who lets them to continue. There are things that you said that you can do something about. Stop pretending to be someone you are not. Tell me, does everything you do get you what you really want? I mean, look at you. You wear down so much because of those long walks around the forest to get to who knows where with who knows who for no good reason. The only thing you manage to get by taking things by force… or against other people's will," they all understood that she was talking about Inuyasha, "is to make more and more damage to yourself. There will come a time when you'll no longer be able to stand it, not you or anyone else."

After Kagome's speech, Kikyo looked really ashamed of herself.

"I… the only thing that I have done is make trouble for you. Since we met the first time, before we knew that we were related… I had always envied you, Kagome. You can do whatever you want without fear and not caring if someone, mostly me, I guess, would ever judge you. You've never cared and live your life as you wish, and even after all the mean things I did to you, for so long, even after hearing all those rumors around the school right now… you still trusted me… and look how I repaid you. I…"

Kikyo looked over at Inuyasha, who stared at her doubtfully. What was she planning now?

"Inuyasha… I order you to never again obey any order from me after this command. Unless you want to do it, you need to do it, or if it's an order that will help you."

If before this anyone had thought that Kikyo was planning something against Kagome, at that moment, Sango herself could swear that in front of her was a new girl, renewed thanks to the affection and understanding from her family.

Kikyo was soon embraced by the women in the apartment, who showed her their love and unconditional support.

At that moment Kikyo knew that she didn't need money or jewelry, fame or fortune or even pretend to be someone who she wasn't, not anymore. At that moment, being herself, she could swear to everyone, having these people here, accepting her, even after everything, was true happiness. She could've shout it, She was finally happy.

* * *

><p>It had been two weeks since the incident with Kikyo and things had gone from good to excellent.<p>

Kikyo now lived with them and the room was now occupied by two bunk beds, which they would often exchange, especially between Kikyo and Kagome who had grown closer through their family relation. She even now accompanied them to school and they walked back together from it as well.

**4:00 PM**

"Shippo, have mercy, don't run so fast!" yelled Miroku, as he was pulled by the little kitzune, who was running from one side to other, completely out of control.

"Which one first, Miroku? Oh, I know! The Roller Coaster!" exclaimed the excited kit, running in one direction and stopping a few steps later. "No, better yet, let's go to the House of Mirrors! No, no, no! I got it! The carrousel! No, the-!"

"Why don't you just make up your mind, for once, runt?"

"But Inuyasha, there's just so much! Everything is so cool! This is the first time I've ever been to the amusement park!"

It was also the first time for Inuyasha, but he could control himself better than the little kit.

Yes, everything was getting better…

_'Except for my small problem with honesty,' _thought Inuyasha. Every day it was getting harder and harder to control himself around Kagome.

One time he had found himself flat out staring at her while they ate at school. Yeah, generally they looked in each other's eyes when they talked but that was one thing, and another was to stare at her face for over 20 minutes. The most frustrating part was that she didn't seem to notice. It was both embarrassing and exasperating.

But he couldn't help thinking about telling her, that he would give everything for her.  
>Yet, at the same time, he was afraid to throw away the wonderful relationship they had. What if she ordered him to never talk to her ever again? What if she learned about his feelings and came to hate him for them? What if… if… if she ordered him to get away from her, forever?<p>

He didn't want that, she was everything to him. She had shown him a new concept on life and shown him in a thousand and one ways that his situation wasn't that bad. Kagome had opened the doors of her home for him, of her world… of her life. He was a part of her life but sometimes he felt that his own world revolved entirely around Kagome.

It was unnecessary to say that he used to slap himself for think in such a sappy way.

"Inuyasha, aren't you coming?" Asked Kikyo, approaching when she noted he was distracted, standing at the entrance of the park.

"What? Ah… yeah, yeah, I'm coming… coming…" Inuyasha started to walk, absentmindedly following Kagome, who had joined Shippo in his search of the best ride to get on first.

"Have you noticed, dear?" asked Ms. Higurashi, surprising Kikyo.

_'Had I noticed what? Is my aunt that perceptive? Or is it that Inuyasha is so obvious?' _Kikyo looked at her with a confused look.

"I don't want to seem like the queen of the obvious or anything but," Sango started to say as she approached them with cotton candy. "I believe Inuyasha has been excessively thoughtful for the past couple of weeks."

"You think it may be my fault?" asked Kikyo, with fear, but calmed when Ms. Higurashi shook her head.

"The past is the past, but I have no doubt that something is lurking in his mind a bit too strongly."

Kikyo knew perfectly well the reason and once again she mentally corroborated it, noticing that the moment when Kagome took Inuyasha's hand, and literally dragged him to the Haunted House, he blushed slightly and his eyes took on a special glow and softened.

"Those eyes… had a lot of honey…" whispered Sango, noticing the same thing Kikyo had seen. Then they both laughed out loud.

Inuyasha was definitely obvious, and Kagome was completely oblivious.

* * *

><p><strong>4:30 PM<strong>

"It's already over?" Asked the girl fearfully, with her eyes tightly closed. She was clutching Inuyasha's haori and he was watching her with amusement.

"You little fool, you wanted to come to this place, you should have known that they call it 'The Haunted House' for a reason."

"But I didn't remember it being this scary…"

"When was the last time you came to this place, Kagome?" His voice had a 'things-change-kid' tone.

"Well…" She cracked open one of her eyes and relaxed when she saw that they were in a deserted hall with no furniture to hide. "Now that I think about it… I came with my father when I was eleven. But then Dracula appeared and I got really scared… that's why I didn't see the rest. I spent the rest of the time with my head hidden under my father's arm."

Inuyasha couldn't help but laugh at that. Dracula was the one who had welcomed them to the Haunted House. He should applaud Kagome, she had survived Dracula, the werewolf, some kind of ugly mummy and a guy with a pumpkin head. It was thanks to that last one that she had hidden her face against his chest and he was sure that if it had been possible she would have pressed his arm over her head as well.

"I guess that's one of the disadvantages of growing up, right? Is not that easy to hide now."

Kagome relaxed at his words and began to laugh too, but then a skeletal hand suddenly appeared behind her and touched her shoulder. Kagome screamed in panic and practically hung herself on Inuyasha's neck. He saw, with a bored expression on his face, a boy no older than them hidden behind the tapestry on the wall with a plastic skeleton hand.

"Oh for the love of- This isn't scary, Kagome, don't exaggerate."

But nothing of what he said was enough to make her lift her face from his chest.

He wouldn't deny it, he loved to feel her so close to him.

* * *

><p><strong><span>7:00 PM<span>**

"I'm dead!" yelled the little kid "Figuratively speaking, of course." He added when he noticed the frightened look on the faces of the people walking nearby. "Oh boy, the people nowadays get scared so easily."

"Tell me about it," Inuyasha huffed, tiredly. In the beginning he had enjoyed the feeling of having Kagome near him, clinging tightly to his body, but then after a couple of hours of walking everywhere, carrying gifts and stuff that they have purchased, Shippo being over his shoulder once in a while, plus the effort of practically carrying the girl inside the Haunted Mansion, that had made his back ache. She wasn't heavy, but the position had been uncomfortable to walk. "I'm dead!" he finally exclaimed, releasing a part of his tension.

"Well, we still have time enough for one last game," Ms. Higurashi told them, drinking from her glass of lemonade. "It'll start to get dark soon so we have just enough time to take another walk around the park."

"Let's go to the Ferris wheel!" exclaimed Sango happily.

"Is the best ride, right about this time, then we could see the sunset and since it's quiet it'll let us rest from the day. I'm tired too," supported Kikyo.

"Is there anyone against the idea?" asked Miroku.

Besides Shippo, who considered it a waste of time, everyone agreed.

"Ok then, passenger cars aren't so big," explained Kagome's mother, "so we're going to go in couples on each one. Shippo can come with me, since he's small that way we'll be three in one of the cars."

Is it necessary to say who asked to accompany Ms. Higurashi?

* * *

><p><strong>7:20 PM<strong>

"But, Sango!"

"Not buts, Miroku, I don't trust you if we're alone together. You're terribly perverted!"

"Then what about me? Are you going to let him do something to me instead?" Asked a very frightened Kikyo. "Is this some sort of revenge?"

"Don't worry, Kikyo. He respects you and knows that something really bad will happen to him if he does something to you," finished Sango, with a glare at the young monk, who sighed in defeat.

Inuyasha helped Kagome enter their cart.

_'Ms. Higurashi was right, they are small,'_ he thought while staring at the little space between his and Kagome's legs after taking the seat in front of her.

The operator, after giving them the security instructions, closed the door and made the wheel advance, so the next cart could be occupied.

At first there had been some tension in the air. They hadn't really been alone since that day at the lake, and Kagome wasn't blind, something was up with Inuyasha.

* * *

><p><strong>7:22 PM<strong>

"Lately you've been thinking a lot," she said suddenly, looking at Inuyasha who was staring outside the window, bored, as the wheel moved along.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" he asked, waking up from his daydream.

"You see? That's exactly what I'm talking about, Mister Super Sensitive Ears."

"Hey, I can hear perfectly well, so don't insult me."

"Well, it doesn't look like it, a moment ago you didn't hear what I said, did you?"

"I don't want to fight in this enclosed space." Good, this was good, they were starting to treat each other as usual.

"If you have such good hearing, why don't you tell me what my mom and Sango are talking about in the next cart?"

"Is that an order?"

"Is a challenge. Do it if you want."

Inuyasha 'Keh-ed' and turned to look out the window again but began to pay attention to everything around him, however he couldn't hear anything but Kagome's breathing.

"That's weird… I can't hear anything except our breathing."

"Great, then you lose!" Exclaimed Kagome triumphantly. But her joy didn't last long, since Inuyasha suddenly stood with great force, causing the cart to swing sharply. "Don't do that!" She cried, frightened.

"We gotta get out of here."

"What?"

"I have to get out of here, Kagome. Today's…" he trailed off while watching the sun sliding behind the mountains beyond the horizon. Damn, with the entire incident with Kikyo, and the plans to come to the Amusement Park, he had completely forgotten…

Kagome understood perfectly well. Today marked another month since his death.

He tried to open the door but it was locked from the outside.

"Don't even think about breaking it, Inuyasha. These things are too expensive. I can't be spending money like that. We have to see to our future."

That phrase echoed in Inuyasha's head, in many ways. The first one wanted to yell at her for not letting him do as he wished. The second one wanted to claim, how was it possible that she couldn't afford a broken door, when she had spent over 200,000 on him? The third one was the 'our future' phrase… he knew that she hadn't intended to make it sound like that but… well... was it really a bad thing for them to share a future?

He became so absorbed in thought that hadn't notice Kagome taking a blanket out of her backpack, the same one they had used to eat on the grass a few hours ago.

"If there's no way to get out of here before it gets dark, sit on the blanket while the ride stops. That way nun of the blood will stain the floor."

Inuyasha obeyed. He sat on the floor, in his usual position and let his head lean against her knees. Kagome, absentmindedly, from time to time passed a hand over his hair.

* * *

><p><strong>7:26 PM<strong>

"How much longer?" he asked.

Kagome watched with joy as their cart neared the ground and the ride had begun to slow. But then she felt a hole in her stomach when the cart that had stopped at the bottom wasn't theirs but the one next to them. Now they'll have to wait for everyone to get down before they could do… this was going to take a while.

It wasn't long before it finally got dark. Inuyasha's appearance changed before her astonished eyes and she had to remind herself that it was just an appearance and Inuyasha wasn't really hurt. He was perfectly fine, beside her and with his usual bad temper.

"We must get home before 10:36 PM." He said suddenly. His face was green again and he was doing his best to not look at Kagome. He knew she was already scared.

"Why specifically at that time?"

"Today it's the anniversary of my death. I learned with time that it was the exact hour when I died and… at that moment everything will stop being just an appearance."

At that moment Kagome began to feel as if the Ferris wheel was moving excessively slow.

* * *

><p><strong>10:20 PM<strong>

"We made it!" Yelled Sango, hastily entering the apartment, followed by Miroku and Kagome, who carried a semi-conscious Inuyasha with them. Minute by minute he was getting weaker.

"Are you sure you can handle this alone, Kagome? I have experience, we helped each other on our respective anniversaries of death," offered Miroku after laying Inuyasha down on a bed, in which Ms. Higurashi had quickly switched the sheets for something denser and older that could get as dirty as needed.

"Don't worry Miroku, besides, Inuyasha asked that no-one else be here. I'll take care of things, he explained it all to me while we were waiting to get out of the Ferris wheel."

"All right then. We'll wait in the living room, if you need something, anything, just call."

"I will, and please don't stay awake all night. You can open the sofa-bed and get comfortable on there."

Miroku nodded and left the room.

"Kag-"

"Don't push yourself, Inuyasha."

"What time is it?"

The girl took the night clock from her desk.

"It's 10:32 pm… it'll all finish at midnight right?"

"Yeah… at midnight it marks a new day… I'll keep the appearance but I won't be suffering the symptoms anymore.

"All right, then… what I'm supposed to do now?"

She had lied. The only thing Inuyasha had told her was, for no-one else to be in the room, he hadn't said anything of how to help him. She hadn't been able to deny it, but now she resented it. He looked really bad. Like really, _really_ bad.

"Don't worry, just… just stay by my side. Believe me, that's the only thing I need."

* * *

><p><strong><span>10:34 PM<span>**

"But Miroku said that-"

"What he said… he wasn't talking about medicines or something like that. There's no cure for death. It's just that I used to get very aggressive with them. I hate to feel the void… and Kouga didn't help either. Miroku used to put a barrier around me so I couldn't get near them.

_'Ok, that wasn't what I was expecting…'_ thought Kagome. Miroku had looked really worried about Inuyasha… or was it that he was worried about her? "You won't be aggressive with me?" she asked a bit fearful. What if something went wrong?

"Not at all." Inuyasha closed his eyes for a moment. He felt nauseous. "Just stay… everything will end soon enough, you'll see.

* * *

><p><strong>10:36 PM<strong>

Inuyasha broke into a cold sweat. The wounds on his shoulder, front and the putrefaction over his heart became more noticeable. He had trouble breathing.

He'd made a mistake, he shouldn't have asked Kagome to stay. He began to fret. He had to destroy something, anything. He needed to get rid of that horrible feeling of suffocation that gnawed in his chest.

Then everything went dark.

* * *

><p><strong>10:42 PM<strong>

"Kagome!" yelled Inuyasha, waking up and opening his feverish eyes. Where was he? What had happened? Had gone something wrong? Why the hell wasn't the sensation of drowning not going away?

Then he felt a hand rest on his head. Kagome's hand.

"Easy, you had a nightmare… everything's all right, Inuyasha. How do you feel?"

The hanyou relaxed, but was still weak and 'dying'. Gently, he took the hand, that Kagome was resting on the mattress, between his claws.

"Thank you for not leaving…" he whispered so low that he wasn't sure if Kagome had actually hear him or not.

* * *

><p><strong>11:15 PM<strong>

"Inuyasha I'm just going for clean towels, I need something to put down the fever."

"It won't work, it won't brake until-"

"But you're dying!"

Inuyasha closed his eyes, tired. Ok, fine, yeah, this was some kind of torturous representation of his death, but he wasn't really dying. That damn shackle would never allow it.

"Don't panic-"

"Too late. Please, let go of my hand so I can go get fresh towels and some water." But Inuyasha didn't let go. That had been a petition, not an order. He would ignore it completely.

"Inuyasha…"

"Just do as I asked… I swear it, Kag. I don't need anything else."

… Did he just call her 'Kag'?

**11:55 PM**

Again, Inuyasha was unconscious but this time he seemed to be sleeping peacefully. If it wasn't for his soft breathing, Kagome would have sworn that he was dead. His body was truly freezing, and he'd yet to stop bleeding. How was that possible?

Kagome stared at the shackle, firmly attached to Inuyasha's neck. She had heard him say plenty of times that if he couldn't die it was because of that 'damn shackle'. That meant that if she took it from him…

"It seems like I'll never find a way to free you, does it?" she whispered, tightening her grip on Inuyasha's hand, which had never let her go.

"Why are you- why do you worry so much? What- what are we to you?" Inuyasha answered but couldn't open his eyes. He was no longer able to move his eyelids and he ignored how he had managed to barely speak.

"You're very important to me, Inuyasha. You and Shippo are my friends… you're my family. I don't want to see you tied to this sort of life…"

The hanyou managed to open his eyes and look at her. She returned the look with great sadness.

"I know how hard it must be for you, to have loved ones that with time will die… and you won't be able to do anything about it. All you can do is to watch them all pass…"

Inuyasha hadn't seen it from that point of view before since he had never had someone he really cared about, but now... If he let her know about his feelings for her… for the first time he felt terrified of her returning his feelings.

"I want to release you, I want you to have a normal life."

"Kagome… it's thanks to you that… that we have a life as normal as possible." Inuyasha could feel it. It was now or never. Nevertheless he needed to know. "Would it be so bad to share your life with me, as I am? A hanyou… a Slave…"

"Inuyasha…" Kagome looked at him, touched by his words but still looking depressed. "The last thing I want is for you to suffer. I only seek for your happiness, and Shippo's."

"What if we decided-" Inuyasha began to suffer from lack of air. It was so close, he could feel it. "…Stay like this forever? If we didn't care… to actually be Slaves as- as long as we could be wi-with you? I… my happiness-"

Kagome squeezed his hand harder when she noticed how Inuyasha's eyes began to look into a void instead of her face. What was happening? If she had thought that his body was freezing before, she was wrong. This was ice itself.

"Inuyasha, what's going on? You said everything would be over for good!" the girl looked at her watch.

**11:58 PM**

Was Inuyasha really dying?

The boy lost all his strength and let his head fall to one side. His hand, which had maintained a soft but firm grip, let go of Kagome completely and dropped off the bed.

"Inuyasha! This isn't funny! What's happening?" she watched, in pain, as Inuyasha's face turned grey. All sign of color had gone. She didn't know what the heck was happening, the only thing that she was conscious about was the state of the body in front of her.

Kagome lost control and launched onto Inuyasha's chest, shaking him in an attempt to make him wake up.

"You can't do this to me, Inuyasha… You can't do this to me!" she exclaimed as an ultimatum and hid her head between his neck and his shoulder.

**12:00**

She then noticed the slight beating that remained in his neck. It was beginning to sound more rhythm tic and stronger than before.

Kagome lifted up her face and was confronted with Inuyasha's gaze, who was smirking at her, with a fusion of gratefulness and tenderness.

"I told you everything would be all right, Kag." Inuyasha moved gently with his claws some strands of her hair and placed them behind her ear. Then he returned his hand, and left it on her cheek.

She sighed with relief as she felt how his hand was once again warm.

"For a moment I thought that-"

"I'm not as weak as you think."

Kagome smiled, then blushed deeply.

"Did you hear what I said?" she whispered, completely embarrassed for her impulsive acts.

"I did. But since I ignore what is it you told me I can't do, I won't take it as an order."

Kagome smiled and leaned her head back on Inuyasha's shoulder, who began rocking her gently.

"You've already had a lot of pressure because of me… now rest, I'm perfectly well so you don't have to worry abou-" he trailed off when he noticed that she was already asleep. That caused him to get considerably angry.

"Ungrateful child… and I bother in-"

"Inu… yasha…" she whispered in the middle of her dreams. "Don- don't… leave me…"

That hadn't been an order, and even if it had been, orders given while sleeping weren't valid. However, that made the hanyou dismiss any grudge, or anger, that might have accumulated in those seconds. He gently kissed Kagome's forehead and sighed.

"I swear to you, Kagome, that I'll never leave you. Because you… you are the owner of my life…"

_'…And of my heart._'


	7. Among fear and disclosures

**Author notes: **I know! I suck with this! *Self-esteem down* Argh! TT-TT Honestly, this is getting harder and harder to translate, when I wrote these episodes in Spanish I had an idea of what I wanted and just let all my emotions to express themselves. Then, when I wrote these chapters I was passing for several critical moments in my life – relative's deaths, fails on jobs, money problems, and a long list of etceteras. And then now that I'm reading again my episodes I'm like remembering all of those things and I just feel so emotional again that it makes me difficult to translate and then I'm all like "Wait, am I writing this right? Oh, crap, no I'm not I have to redo it and then when I look at the clock it's 3AM in the morning a day later from the day I'm supposed to upload the chapter, and I haven't even sent the chapter to my beta ~ I'm so sorry Panda! TT-TT I feel bad for this, I really am, but this last week has been almost pure torture to me, seeking for jobs, money, trying to manage to publish a book I'm writing since I was 15, jobs, money, jobs, money, MONEY! And then I hate that they call you for an interview, and then don't call you ever again, guess who's paying the bus! (And it's ridiculously expensive in my city)

Sigh… sorry, I have had a lot in my mind, in my life, in my world the last couple of episodes, that's why I uploaded late – again – and I'm really sorry for that. Sorry to my readers, sorry to my reviewers and sorry to PandaStarz, really, I'm really sorry, but this is really difficult. I'll finish it, I will, but it's difficult. I was hoping it would be easier but now I've learned that it isn't.

Oh well, change of topic. I honestly was afraid of your reaction about Kikyo in the last chapter, but it seems that I survived, yeeey X3 hehehe =3 this chapter is one of those 'just for filling' but something of it seemed crucial to me when I wrote it. We'll see a bit more about the others Slaves life ^^ I hope you enjoy it.

Also it's placed in Valentine's dates so… even we're practically in Halloween I hope you like it ^^ I'll not take more of your time, enjoy the chapter and thanks for your reviews, reads and alerts! X3 They make me so happy!

**Disclaimer**: Besides the plot line, I don't own anything. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Yomiuri TV Corporation. I'm not getting any profit from this story; this was just made for fun.

**Warning**: Maybe there is bad language? I'm not so sure what you consider bad language... ^^U

**Thanks to**: Thanks to my beta reader, PandaStarz and A.B. Plasencia, for their wonderful work on this chapter.

* * *

><p><strong>Slavery.<strong>

**Author: **MikoAucarod

Chapter 7: Among fear and disclosures.

* * *

><p>Just one more day, or one day less. That's what Valentine's Day meant for them. When they discovered that February 14 had fallen on a Sunday, they had hoped that everything would end and return to normal soon, but nooooooooo. There just had to be those famous 'sales' and 'offers' that people who wanted to spend their well earned money loved so much.<p>

"If they only knew the real meaning of this day," whispered Kouga, watching, as always, from the roof of the school, the group of girls that were still giving out chocolates, stuffed animals, balloons and other stuff to their peers. No offense but… a whole week had passed since Valentines Day and they were still doing that? He just didn't understand them.

"No kidding. The white day will be the doom for those boys who had received so many chocolates. You see them happy right now, but wait for that day to come," scoffed Inuyasha, extremely bored. "They'll be crying for their mothers asking to borrow money and-"

"Come on, guys. Why do you have to be so pessimistic?" Miroku approached them both with a fun and curious stare. "It has always been like this. This isn't any new. Why don't you just enjoy the moment and leave it at that?"

"Years ago, things weren't like this, Miroku, and you know it. This merchandising stuff is just sickening… " Inuyasha wasn't cheesy, of course he wasn't. He was a grown man. But the truth was, that he missed those past times in which people cared more about the detail and intention than in an object 'far-more-bigger-than-the-one-X-person-gave-to-you-because-I-love-you-more'… "Feh! They're such fools."

"Tell that to Sesshomaru, did you see how many girls offered him chocolates and roses on the Monday after Valentine's day when they came to class?" This time, Kouga sounded kind of jealous.

"Don't tell me you wanted someone to give you one of those too, Kouga." Miroku started laughing out loud. "Oh boy, if I didn't know you well I'd say that you're mad because this year we won't be getting any homemade chocolate from Lady Kaede."

"I'm bored!" shouted Inuyasha, lying on the floor of the terrace. Since that time at the amusement park he had learned that screaming once in a while was de-stressing… although it bothered people around him, he didn't care about that.

"Inuyasha, you don't have to shout," said Kagome, going out to the terrace. Finally classes had ended. Sango, Kagura and Ayame were with her and the four of them had a little pink bundle in their hands.

"Not you, too?" Kouga approached Ayame and stared at the packet with a mix of anger, jealousy… and yearning.

"Is that what I think it is?" Miroku had walked over to Sango and stared at the package, eyes bright. He'd recognize it anywhere.

"Miss Kaede told us that she wished you, to have spent a happy Valentine's Day. Even if it's late, she sends you this with all her love. We hadn't seen her until today, that's why she hadn't been able to deliver them." Ayame delivered the bundle to Kouga, who took it with poorly masked indifference. He was dying to eat that unique chocolate!

"That old woman made us chocolate again?" said Inuyasha, still lying on his back, on the floor, while watching Kagome walk up to him. She left his pack of chocolate in front of his face, leaving the half-demon doing some funny squinting, trying to focus on the packaging. Finally he straightened up and took it.

"Have you seen Sesshomaru?" asked Kagura, noticing his absence.

"He left a couple of hours ago," Kouga told her, with his mouth full of homemade chocolate.

"Oh, look, Mr. Macho man that can't stand chocolates here has now eaten a full packet all by himself." Miroku couldn't pass up the opportunity to make fun of Kouga.

Everyone laughed out loud.

"Stop it!" growled the youkai angrily while watching Inuyasha roll on the floor, laughing.

Kagura was the first one to calm down.

"He must have gone to pick up Kanna from the elementary school. My parents couldn't go today because of a meeting they had at mid-afternoon so no one would have been able to go pick her up. I'll never understand him."

"What do you mean, Kagura?" Ayame asked as she wiped away lingering tears of laughter.

"Well, I don't order him to do much at home, but when there's a necessity, like this one and we ask him to do something he always acts indifferent… I'm not actually sure, he just… He's usually calm and cool and treats me well. He's not very 'sociable' but at the elementary school… I'm pretty sure that I heard him laugh a couple of days ago."

"Sesshomaru laughing?" Kouga, Miroku and Inuyasha couldn't help but exclaim, shocked. How was it possible that Sesshomaru could ever laugh? Never in their entire life – and they had shared a good couple of centuries together – had they ever seen so much as a smile on his face.

"I know it's weird! Even for me!" Kagura blushed a bit when she said that. "It's just that, I don't know. It seems like being with kids could heal his soul…"

"Heal?" Ayame couldn't help but ask while Sango and Kagome just looked each other. They knew what Kagura was talking about. They had heard Miroku and Inuyasha moaning in pain or murmuring things in their dreams, as products of the ghosts from their pasts, the same way it happened to Shippo. Then Sesshomaru probably had…

"Kouga, if I recall right both you and Sesshomaru were turned into Slaves at the same time, right" Kagura looked really concerned and needed to know.

The young wolf seemed uncomfortable with the question, but then he sighed and nodded.

"We were the leaders of the North Tribe. There was a war and, during a fight against some insignificant youkais, one of the human's palaces was affected. The entire region's human army turned against us. Finally, Sesshomaru and I were ambushed. One of the youkais under our command had been captured and he agreed to tell where we were in order to save is own flesh. The rest-"

"...is history." They all heard behind them. Sesshomaru had returned and sitting on his shoulders was Kanna, with her school uniform and smiling brightly.

"Sister, look! Mister Sesshomaru accompanied me to buy an ice cream and we decided to come and pick you up. So we can all go home together!" Kanna got down from Sesshomaru's arms and ran to Kagura. The Inu-youkai looked at everyone else with his usual cold stare.

"What are you looking at?" he asked. Kagome and Sango looked down, ashamed. "I hate compassion." Was the last thing he whispered, more to himself, before leaning on the rail of the roof and watch over the place.

* * *

><p>"I wonder why you put so much effort into carrying this marketer garbage, Kagome," Inuyasha said while walking behind a small pile of roses, balloons, a couple of stuffed animals and a few chocolates."<p>

"Well, they were gifts. I can't dislike them just that easily."

"Feh! You're just saying that because you don't have a boyfriend."

"Of course that's not the reason, even if I had one, the details that my friends give me are beautiful gifts…"

"Don't give me that crap. They bought more than what they really needed and now they don't know what to do with so many things."

"Inuyasha, could it be… that you're jealous?" Kagome asked, watching him, but the hard look that greeted her made it very clear that jealousy wasn't what he felt at that moment. For some strange reason, deep down from inside of her, she felt disappointed, and she knew what he was trying to get at…

"If this had been last Monday I would understand, but a week later, Kagome? Don't you think it's a bit late for them to say 'Happy Valentine's Day' or 'Happy Friendship Day' when they hadn't given you even a sign of affection, a hug or anything the first opportunity they got?"

Aha, she was right. She had been a fool to think that Inuyasha wouldn't notice.

No one, but him, the boys, Shippo, Sango, Kagura, Ayame and her family had given her anything for Valentine's Day.

"Well, it's not like this is something new, though. It's always been like this, Inuyasha. I don't really mind."

"But neither do you need to be around to receive the crumbs that are thrown out when they get tire-"

"Shut up." Kagome's voice sounded cold and clearly offended. Inuyasha rolled his eyes, letting out a soft snort through his nose. He had made her angry, you could tell from a mile away and he was angry too, because of that stupid 'You-can't-lie' law. He hated it. He knew when he needed to shut up, but he couldn't do it! In his mind he begged that someone please ordered him to open his mouth again, because he was starving and he couldn't eat anything if he couldn't open it.

* * *

><p>"Dad, we're home!" yelled Kanna as she entered her house, followed closely by Kagura and Sesshomaru, who closed the door behind him.<p>

"Welcome home, how was school, Kagura, Kanna?" A young woman with long, black hair appeared at the top of a staircase. "Sesshomaru, thanks for picking up Kanna from school. I called to ask if they'd already gone out and they told me that you had personally gone for her. You shouldn't have bothered."

"It was a pleasure, Ms. Aby. Excuse me, I'll be in the garden." Sesshomaru placed his hand for a moment on Kanna's head and then crossed to the door next to the hall and disappeared.

"That man is a really good person, my dear. He has been so much help at home, and he has such a good manners, very handsome-"

"Hold on, mother," Kagura cut her off, blushing. "I know what you're getting at and the answer is no. I'm not interested in having a boyfriend at all."

"Oh, but sweetie!" Aby's pout was comical. "When I was your age I was already married to your father."

"And for how many years did you blame me for steal your youth." A man entered the room. He seemed about 40 years old. His hair, long and white as his daughter Kanna, fell free behind his back. "'You're so evil, Haku! Give me back my youth!' How many times have I heard that?"

"Oh, but Haku, my darling." Aby pouted even more and at that moment Kanna and Kagura decided to escape to their rooms. Their parents were really weird, in a matter of seconds their mother would have a tantrum, their father would smile and five minutes later you had to evacuate the living room because of the huge quantities of 'honey' that they both poured. Words like 'little bear', 'cherry pie', 'sweetie', and such cheesy things were not ones that you wanted to hear from your parents. It was scary.

"You know, sister?" Kanna swung her backpack onto her bed and went to follow Kagura into her room. "Today, Mister Sesshomaru acted weird."

"You think so? It's not a secret. We know that he's very tender with little girls."

"And that's precisely what worried me today." Kanna approached the window of the room and looked at the garden. Sesshomaru was leaning on one of the trees near the property line. "Today when we got out I was with a friend from class and when Sesshomaru saw us, I noticed how he was… scared"

"Scared?" Kagura went over to stand next to Kanna and watch the youkai, who was apparently resting.

"Yeah, like when you see Chucky on the TV, or when Casper's uncles appear."

In short: When you see ghosts or monsters.

"And then what did he do?"

"He greeted her, asked me to say my goodbyes like a good girl and we left. But I heard him sigh three times. Three!"

That was weird. Sesshomaru never, ever, EVER sighed in front of them.

"Maybe she reminded him of someone he met over these past centuries that he has been living in."

"I hope it hadn't been a person that was very precious to him." Kanna looked sadly towards her hero. He was her hero. Her father couldn't place her over his shoulders so easily. "I would hate to see him sad."

Kagura shook her head slightly and went to take a bath. Nobody knew this yet, except the boys because they had asked but she had heard Sesshomaru whisper things in the middle of the night two or three times now. Despite having his own room, some nights she would hear him whisper, moan and if it wasn't for his appearance of 'ice man' she could have sworn that she'd heard him cry.

"If it's something that he wants us to know, sooner or later he will tell us."

"Ok… well, I'll go do my homework." And with that said, Kanna left, leaving Kagura behind with her thoughts.

What had happened to Sesshomaru?

* * *

><p>"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" the yelling was from the hall of her house and she knew that the peace had ended. New record. Miroku usually needed only ten minutes to make Sango's father mad at him. This time only sixteen minutes had passed without trouble.<p>

Sango left her room to watch, holding in the crazy desire she had to laugh at how her father was chasing Miroku all over the place. The monk was running avoiding chairs, tables, lamps and other furniture while trying to escape from the man's anger. Her father was carrying Kohaku's bat!

"Why the hell did you scare the pizza delivery girl? You have any idea of how much I'm starving?"

"But such a beauty couldn't leave without receive a compliment from this humble servant!" Miroku tried to explain himself while jumping over the couch and starting to run down the entire hall, towards Sango's room, were, after pushing the girl inside, he locked the door.

"You could at least wait until she gave us the food! She ran away with the money and the pizza!" The man started to hit the door with the bat, in front of the astonished gaze of Kohaku, Sango's younger brother, and her mother, a woman much like the boy, because of her short and rebellious hair. "Besides, to ask a woman if she wants to bear your children isn't exactly a compliment! Open that door and get out of my daughter's room!"

Miroku was trying to hide behind Sango's bed, looking with terror at the door, which seemed about to give away at any second. When he began to march towards it to open it, Sango stopped him.

"I order you to ignore, for the next 30 minutes, whatever order comes from my father."

"Sango, my soul. Let the heavens welcome you, you deserve it. I beg you to help your father to calm down," he begged at the same time he hid himself again behind the bed in an attempt to hide from the wrath of the man.

The girl couldn't help but burst out laughing. Miroku was definitely a lost cause.

"You're incorrigible! Hahahahahaha, if you saw your face-" Sango gasped as tears of laughter welled up in her eyes. "If you saw… the expression of… Hahahahahahahahahahahaha."

The monk forgot for a few seconds the fear he had towards Sango's father. If these moments brought him the beautiful image of this smiling girl, it was well worth it to receive a few strokes from her father.

* * *

><p>"Jeez, Inuyasha. You should have tried to write or something. For a moment I thought that you were mad at me." Kikyo watched the hanyou devouring the food in front of him as if his life depended of it. The poor boy had spent two days with his mouth closed until Kagome's mother had told him to open it. That Kagome had dared to not speak to him in two days!<p>

"Feh! That fool-" Inuyasha started drinking orange juice that Kagome's mother had given him in a plastic glass. "Next time I see her, she will pay…"

"Oh well, understand her a bit. Normally things are like that, she is the 'weird bug of the school'" Kikyo tried to explain.

"That's precisely what made me mad! If she knows how they treat her, why did she accept those false things?" Inuyasha looked resentful towards Kikyo, who gave him a tired look.

"Inuyasha, the river took those drops of water a long time ago, you know?" said Mrs. Higurashi, sitting beside the boy, who looked at her blankly.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean that what's in the past is in the past. Kagome knows it, besides, everyone likes flowers and chocolate. Yes, I agree with you that it's better that the intention and detail is more important than anything else," she added when she noticed Inuyasha's expression. "I bet you that she values much more the hug and good wishes you gave her on Valentine's Day than all those gifts that appeared at her locker a week later. But you can't blame her for looking for something more, deep down in her."

Shippo, who had remained silent the whole time, jumped onto Inuyasha's shoulder and looked at Mrs. Higurashi with teary eyes.

"You mean that the love we have for her, she doesn't consider it enough?" That was a bucket of cold water for Inuyasha. He loved her. He had already admitted that to himself. He still didn't understand how or why but he knew that he loved her, and now they were saying those things? That they would never be nothing more than Slaves to her? Yes, they were friends of hers, but still just Slaves in the end.

"No, no, Shippo. I don't mean that, what I'm trying to say is-" the woman sighed, defeated. "I can't explain it, honestly. Its just… she's that way. She's used to underestimating herself and-"

"But what are you talking about, aunty? If there's something impressive about Kagome is her bravery and how she always confronts things." Kikyo was no less surprised than Inuyasha. They had never seen her underestimate herself.

"She's like that. When she's in front of other people she shows strength because she doesn't want to get hurt. She doesn't lie, she has never done so, but she always keeps her pain and suffering to herself. She doesn't allow herself to show weakness in front of anyone. That's why she-"

Inuyasha then remembered the day he found her at the lake. The first thing she had said was that she wasn't crying, even when it was apparent that she had been. Then Shippo seemed to remember something.

"When I met her… she yelled and drew attention at the school bus but when the students saw it was her, they ignored her a moment later."

Inuyasha stood up and got out of the kitchen, angry. Not at her… well, yeah, he was mad at her but…

"I don't like you!" exclaimed Inuyasha, entering the room and watching Kagome, who was sitting in a small couch while looking through a photo album.

"Wow, should I feel offended?" asked the girl, slightly surprised, looking up at him. She hadn't really expected him to speak to her after what she had done.

"What do you think you gain by acting so childish?"

"What are you talking about?"

Fine, if Kagome had no idea, Inuyasha wasn't planning to give explanations that ended in something embarrassing for him.

He huffed and jumped over to the top bunk and murmured something incoherent.

"What, are you praying, Inuyasha?"

"I'm not praying. I'm angry."

"I don't see why you should be." Kagome continued to look at the photo album. A few seconds later, a part of Inuyasha's face appeared from the on top of the bed, watching her.

"I don't even understand myself." He sighed after a moment. "I don't know, I just… seeing how they always treat you – or rather, the lack of treatment towards you – and then how you act with them as if you don't care what they do to you… and then those 'gifts' as if they did care about you but it only looks like they care about you when it seems convenient for them."

"The truth is that's what they do, Inuyasha."

"Then why do you allow it?" Inuyasha lay on his back and began staring at the ceiling. "You're a strong girl, you have a lot of virtues and if they can't see that then they don't deserve you."

"I know, Inuyasha."

"Then why do you allow it?" All right, his patience was warring thin. "Make them respect you. Maybe it's true, they don't treat you bad or bully you but neither should you have to act like that and allow them to do what they want."

"'Act like that' how?" Kagome was confused, the truth was that she didn't understand Inuyasha's point. He, by his part, was desperately trying to shut up. This was really embarrassing. "If you explained yourself, I could understand better what I'm supposedly doing wrong."

"Kagome, you…" Inuyasha turned again to look out from on top the bunk and looked directly in her eyes, and continued, "They… they don't deserve your forgiveness. You should have thrown away those gifts if you knew that they didn't have any emotional value towards you. You shouldn't let them-"

"You want me to begrudge them only because they don't accept me as whom I am?"

"Precisely." Immediately, Inuyasha hit his head against the edge of the bed, tired. "Well, that's not what I meant… well, that's exactly that I meant but- don't misunderstand me, Kagome."

The girl sighed again and looked at the album one more time.

"Perhaps I would consider your opinion if there was a reason to do it, but there isn't. On the contrary, they may not be my friends, but they don't treat me bad and once in a while I speak with them and it's nice. Besides I don't really need them since I have Sango, lately we've been seeing Kagura and Ayame more often and there's even Kikyo. I have my mom, Shippo… and I have you. It doesn't matter really what other people do, or what they thought about me or what their reason is behind talking to me. They haven't hurt me and there's no point in holding grudges towards anyone. It just-"

"It just kills your soul." Interrupted Inuyasha, with a confused and surprised look. Then he looked again towards Kagome. "How is it you know that phrase?"

"I should ask you the same thing. When my father was still alive he used to say that all the time. He… he used to tell me that there was no point in keep such bad feelings inside our hearts because that'll only torture us internally. Regardless of the damage they had made you you're no one to judge, and the ones who judge are not actually entitled to do so. It has no point."

Inuyasha jumped to the floor and watched Kagome, kneeling in front of her. The young girl blushed slightly, because of his sudden closeness.

"It's a nice way to think," he accepted. "But it's of no help when you're persecuted and harassed by everyone or when you're nothing more than an object for everyone else."

"You're not an object, Inuyasha, and you know it."

He smirked.

"I know. Thanks, Kag."

_'And there it is again, that nickname. It's weird to hear it.'_

"Does it bother you? The name?"

"No, it's just weird. I'm not used to being called by an affectionate nickname." Kagome looked at the floor between them, not being able to stand his gaze anymore. Then she looked again at the album and continued flipping through its pages.

Inuyasha noted with pride the blush of the young girl, but decided to leave things as they were at that moment.

"You don't hate me, right?" Whispered Kagome after a few minutes, a bit afraid.

"No, it's just that your attitude makes me desperate. Sometimes I simply just can't understand you." Inuyasha turned his back to Kagome and leaned against her legs, while looking towards the room's balcony.

"Well, you don't have to understand me all the time. I don't understand you either and don't question a lot of your attitudes."

"Let's not start a fight… not today."

Kagome smiled with some guilt and gently stroked one of Inuyasha's ears. He instantly struck it against his head, surprised at the sudden contact.

"I'm sorry, did I scare you?" Kagome laughed softly while watching his little ears twitch restlessly. _'He looks so cute!'_

"You didn't scare me. It's just that they're very sensitive." Gah! Damn whoever had thought about that damn law of not to lie. That was the most embarrassing thing he had said in his entire life! "Stupid law…"

"It's good. At least I know you're honest with me."

"Sometimes honesty hurts too."

"But it doesn't kill and it's better to live knowing the truth than living with lies or in constant doubt."

Kagome kept flipping through the photo album for a few more minutes, until Inuyasha snatched it and began to looking through it.

"What's so interesting in this book that you're not able to make good conversation, to not get bored?"

"I didn't know you were bored," answered the girl, between giggles. "We were so calm that I didn't bother in- what's wrong?" Kagome straightened when she saw Inuyasha stand up, with the album in his hand and staring at one photograph, completely pale, white as snow.

"Kagome… who's the man in this photo?" Inuyasha showed her the album, with a mixture of despair and worry. She looked at him without understanding and then when she saw the photo, she smiled with nostalgia.

"If you pay attention, you'll notice that he's wearing the same beads that you have right now, Inuyasha."

In the photograph there was a man about 30 years old. His brown hair fell in mushroom-shaped. Not too short, but not too long either. He was wearing a business suit and on his shoulder there was a little girl. She was Kagome, no doubt about it, at the age of 5. Around the man's neck were the beads that she had given to Inuyasha for Christmas.

"That's a picture of my father and me."

At that moment Inuyasha felt like he was going to die.

He had killed Kagome's father.


	8. The truth

**_Author notes: _**_When I originally wrote this I had recently discovered that a beloved one was going to die, so maybe you'll find that I'm kind of 'emo' in this chapter and that's the reason why this chapter is really short. Anyway, thanks to all for your reviews and PM's ^^ I hope you like this chapter and sorry for the delay, I had to attend an important event and I didn't have time to translate this earlier ^^U_

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><p><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: Besides the plot line, I don't own anything. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Yomiuri TV Corporation. I'm not getting any profit from this story; this was just made for fun.

**Warning**: Maybe there is bad language? I'm not so sure what you consider bad language... ^^U

**Thanks to**: Thanks to my beta reader, PandaStarz, for her wonderful work on this chapter.

* * *

><p><strong>Slavery.<strong>

**Author: **MikoAucarod  
>Chapter 8: The truth.<p>

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><p><em>"No… my son, don't blame yourself… this isn't… your fault at all… it'll never be. And even less keep grudges against- against them… don't pity yourself and- and don't… don't keep bad feelings inside your heart. Please don't torture yourself, I- I… I don't judge them… I'm nobody to judge them… that would- that would just kill my soul. Grudges kill the soul."<em>

Inuyasha opened his eyes, scared. His whole body was shaking. He hated to remember that day. The day he had done it.

The day he had killed Kagome's father.

He had asked himself a thousand times who that man had been. Why did he have to do what he had done? He had tirelessly searched for someone who might have known him – because of his clothes he could tell that he was from this era – but he hadn't been able to find anybody. Not even the damn people who had done that to him. Not even someone who could give him a clue of his identity.

He never would have thought that he was the father of the girl that someday would become his owner.

And there he was. Sitting in the largest, lush and hidden tree that he could find. He had practically been hiding there for a month. He hadn't been able to look at Kagome face to face to since then. How could he? He had heard her call for her father in her sleep. He had heard the story from her mother's lips… He had been the murderer!

He didn't want Kagome to hate him. He couldn't bear her disappointed look… that's right. He was afraid to disappoint her. Now he understood why since the beginning he had felt some kind of connection with both of them, Kagome and her mother. Now he could understand why he was always keeping them safe and looking out for them. Earlier he hadn't noticed, but now that he knew the truth, he was conscious that the scent of Kagome's blood was identical to the one of the man he had killed.

His subconscious had made him pay for his sin.

And he… he had fled like a coward. He had preferred to return to the face of loneliness rather than stay a second longer and risk everything to tell Kagome the truth. At any moment she could bring up the topic of her father and he, now knowing the truth, would have to tell her.

He watched guiltily the small yellow backpack in the roots of the tree. Despite all… she cared for him.

* * *

><p>"When do you think he will return?" whispered Kagome, who glanced out the kitchen's window once in a while searching for the hanyou.<p>

"I don't know, sweetie, but he will be all right. He's in the forest, that's true, but this is nothing compared to the great places that existed in the ancient times. Besides, we gave him your backpack with food and things that he would need while out there.

"I know but-" _'but what?_' Kagome asked herself. Why couldn't she stop thinking about him? She depended on him so much. "It just- it's weird. I mean, he just told us out of nowhere that he wanted to spend some time in the forest, saying that he would accept the proposal I had given him before."

"Well, that promise was still standing. I'm actually surprised that he hadn't left earlier. However, he promised to come back every weekend to let us know that he's okay," her mother explained, understanding how her daughter may feel. She herself missed the boy a lot, but it was true, sometimes he needed time to be alone.

"But I haven't seen him since a month ago. Not once," she pouted, like a little girl.

Kikyo observed her expressions. Since Inuyasha had left, Kagome looked very depressed and as if she no longer had the strength to do things. She sighed. Both of them were fools. He for not confessing his feelings for her and she for not even being aware of her own feelings.

What a family she had!

* * *

><p>A few days later, Inuyasha entered the balcony of the room and watched, with relief, that everyone were sleeping… and he smiled to himself while watching Kikyo snore.<p>

The half-demon left the backpack over a near chair and, cautiously, got near the bunker bed where Kagome was sleeping, in the lower bed.

Softly, he took one of the pillows that weren't being used and launched it towards Kikyo's arm so she would move and stop snoring. With joy he noted that his plan had worked, because the girl had murmured something in between dreams and rolled over the bed, turning her back to them and continuing with her sleep.

Shippo was practically dead when he was sleeping so with him he wouldn't have problems.

"Forgive me…" he heard in a sweet whisper. Kagome had woken up.

"You don't have anything to be sorry about, Kagome," he replied, with his back to her. He didn't know what to do; leave at that moment, confront her and wait for the worst, or keep going like this. Damn! He had trusted that she would stay asleep!

"I know I don't have to, but since it seemed that I'm the only one you've been avoiding for over a month I supposed that you were mad at me."

"Not at all. It's me who should apologize to you…" Inuyasha started to sweat cold. He would say it, he was sure, if he didn't leave right now.

The hanyou began to walk towards the balcony but Kagome stood up quickly and took his haori, softly, making him stop.

"Don't go."

"Damn, Kagome. Don't do this to yourself… don't do this to us…" whispered the man, looking the floor. What was he supposed to do now?

"What are you talking about, Inuyasha? I just want to talk. It was all so sudden… what happened? Why did you decide to leave so suddenly? Are you hiding something from me? Are you all right?"

Inuyasha closed his eyes, with both tenderness and despair. He clenched his hands into fists, trying to soothe his troubled heartbeat and also trying to be as sensitive as possible with her. If he had to drop the bomb he would make sure that it would hurt the least possible.

"Nothing bad happened…" he finally spoke. "I-I needed to think…"

_'Good,'_ thought Kagome, _'that cleared my first doubts.'_

"And… I am hiding something from you…" Inuyasha felt her tense behind him.

"I thought you couldn't lie."

"I can't. But you haven't asked me for that truth, so I'm not lying. I just haven't told you."

"And what if I-?" Kagome stopped her sentence because Inuyasha had placed his index finger on her lips. She blushed, realizing how close they were and also for finally, after over a month, being able to watch those golden eyes again. But they looked troubled and dried. As if that time had been a living hell for him.

"Please, I beg you, Kagome… leave things as they are. Don't ask, I- I don't want to hurt you." Inuyasha lowered his hand, releasing the girl from her silence.

"The truth doesn't kill, Inuyasha." She shook her head with shame but she needed to know. She needed to know what was happening with him. "Is that the reason you left?" She asked, cautiously.

"Yes" was the half-demon's dry answer.

"And I imagine it has something to do with me."

"That's right."

"Is it something bad or something I should worry about?"

"… It's something… It's something that made you have the life you actually have and it won't have any repercussion in your future." Inuyasha felt his soul relieved when he saw that he had escaped from that question.

"Then it's all right."

"What?" Inuyasha couldn't believe what he was hearing. _'Is she accepting my attempts of explanation just like that?'_

"I trust you, Inuyasha," she said. "I know that you would never do something to hurt me. And if you did, it doesn't matter. The life I have at this moment is almost perfect. I'm- I'm fine living like this…"

"Even if I'm a murderer?" Inuyasha's eyes widened with fear. That question had escaped his lips before he could stop it. There was no way back now.

Kagome was even more surprised than the man in front of her but after a few seconds she calmed down.

"Were you the one who hurt him or who attempted to do him harm?" she asked.

Inuyasha shook his head. He looked down, tired, exhausted… Knowing the truth was killing him! How was he supposed to deal with this?

"I ended his life…" He finally spoke. "But only because he was a Slave he was still there… I just-"

"You removed his shackle," whispered the girl. Kagome observed Inuyasha and then she smiled weakly. "You didn't kill him. You only released him from his agony…"

"It's still something bad. I snatched his life away from him. I snatched him from his family…"

"Did you know it at the moment? Did you know that would happen?"

"No…" Inuyasha looked Kagome and just let it out. "Your father asked me to save him, to end with the pain. And that's what I did- I didn't know that it would cause you pain for more than two years.

And then everything clicked into place for Kagome.


	9. Dealing with the news

**_Author notes: _**_This chapter was written a couple of days after someone I loved died. That's why you may notice that I'm still kind of depressed in this chapter. And poor Inu has to deal with my emotions __^^U but everything will work for good, I promise =3 thanks to all of you for your reviews, alerts and reads ^^_

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><p><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: Besides the plot line, I don't own anything. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Yomiuri TV Corporation. I'm not getting any profit from this story; this was just made for fun.

**Warning**: Maybe there is bad language? I'm not so sure what you consider bad language... ^^U

**Thanks to**: Thanks to my beta reader, PandaStarz, for her wonderful work on this chapter.

* * *

><p><strong>Slavery.<strong>

**Author: **MikoAucarod

Chapter 9: Dealing with the news.

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><p>"What?"<p>

"I trust you, Inuyasha, I know that you would never do anything to hurt me. And if you did, it doesn't matter. The life I have at this moment is almost perfect. I'm- I'm fine living like this…"

Kikyo opened his eyes. Were Inuyasha and Kagome talking? Didn't they know the phrase "Night is for sleeping" or "let me sleep and don't make me have to listen to people endlessly talking near my bed"? She could see their shadows on the wall in front of her; they were both standing in front of each other, and very close. She smiled slightly. Finally, things were as they were supposed to be!

"Even if I'm a murderer?" she heard Inuyasha ask. Ok, that wasn't the kind of confession she had been hoping to hear from him but, well, it was Inuyasha, you never knew what was going on in his mind. Yet, when she noticed Kagome tensing she knew that this late-night-chat wasn't any kind of love confession.

"Were you the one who hurt him or who attempted to do him harm?" Whose death? Inuyasha had killed somebody? Was that why he had left home all this time?

Kikyo observed how Inuyasha's shadow shook his head. He was suffering, you could tell that from miles away.

"I ended his life… but only because he was a Slave he was still there… I just-"

"You removed his shackle," Kagome whispered so low that Kikyo could barely understand what she was saying. So, Inuyasha had 'killed' a Slave… then her theory of removing their shackles definitely couldn't be used to release them… "You didn't kill him. You only released him from his agony…"

"It's still something bad. I snatched his life away from him. I snatched him from his family…"

"Did you know it at the moment? Did you know that would happen?"

Kikyo noted with displeasure how Kagome seemed to be tensing each time a little more. Who the hell were they talking about?

"No… Your father asked me to save him, to end the pain. And that's what I did- I didn't know that it would cause you pain for more than two years."

She heard Kagome gasp sharply, as if she was surprised. And Kikyo herself was. Inuyasha had killed Kagome's father.

"Kagome?" Inuyasha sounded worried, what if her cousin had a nervous breakdown – or something worse? And yet, Kikyo wasn't able to move from her position.

"Give him back." Kagome's voice trembled with anger. "I order you to give me back my father!" Despite the tone of voice, she barely spoke above a whisper. But she was angry and out of control.

"I can't revive the dead, Kagome… I'm not some kind of magician; I just follow orders."

"Then I order you to die."

Kikyo reacted and sat up on her bed, watching them both. The view in front of her was just… it was… damn, she couldn't describe it!

Kagome was standing with her back towards her, her arms at her sides and her hands tightly clenched. Inuyasha kept looking the floor between him and Kagome and his eyes looked remorseful and devastated… What the hell had happened to him? He didn't even dare to look in Kagome's eyes!

She observed the scene in front of her sadly. And she had thought just 20 seconds ago that this meeting was for a reason completely different!

"I can't do that either… the shackle keeps me from dying." Despite his look, his voice was full of anger and sadness contained. And Kikyo could understand him; Kagome had just ordered him to die.

"Do it."

"You don't mean it, you're angry." Inuyasha tried to reason, even if though at the bottom of his heart he felt devastated.

Kagome finally dropped to her knees, but Kikyo didn't hear any crying coming from her. She just seemed tired. Or she hadn't reacted yet to the news.

"Could you leave us alone?" whispered the girl, looking towards Kikyo. She had been detected by her, but not by Inuyasha who looked surprised to see her awake. Was he that bad? Had the order that he couldn't accomplish affected him so much?

Kikyo stood up and walked towards the couple, slowly. Then she put her hand over her cousin's shoulder and squeezed her softly.

"Are you sure you want me go to?"

"I don't know…" was Kagome's answer. At that moment her tears began to flow.

Immediately, Kikyo hugged her close, trying to comfort her.

Inuyasha closed his eyes, tightly. He hated to see her cry! And he felt like filthy scum, because he was the cause of her suffering!

"I think… that it would be best if you just go for a while, Inuyasha," Kikyo stated firmly, watching him, who stared back. He felt the stone began to hurt him slightly for not obey the order. But Kikyo had canceled her orders towards him, hasn't she?

_"Inuyasha… I order you to never again obey any order coming from me after this command. Unless you want to do it, you need to do it, or if it's an order that will help yourself."_

In other words, or he really wanted to leave or it was for the best… He felt miserable, completely miserable. He knew it, that's why he had avoided treating others, even Kaede or the guys. He always ended up hurting those who he loved!

Inuyasha turned around and walked towards the balcony, ready to go to the forest again. He would live alone, he could do that… it was devastating but he could do it.

But that wouldn't be a life anymore.

And then he heard her.

"Don't go! I'm sorry!" gasped Kagome, between sobs, looking almost pleading. Inuyasha looked at her, surprised and with a deep, profound relief in his heart. Kagome didn't hate him. "I didn't mean it- I… I don't know what I was thinking. I- I just… you- you won't hurt yourself, right?" She continued sobbing at the same time she stood up, being helped by Kikyo. "Don't listen that order, I don't want you to die- I…"

Seeing the worried sick look in her eyes, Inuyasha shook his head, slightly.

"Do you remember the first order you gave me, when you resurrected me?" He didn't wait up for a response and continued, "I cannot commit suicide. You ordered me to not commit any stupid thing against me. I just- I'll leave for all the time you need to assimilate what has happened. I know this… this is something really hard for you."

"Then don't go." Was the final order from Kagome, who freed from Kikyo's embrace and got near Inuyasha. Then she hugged him and hid her face in his chest, while silent tears continued to fall. "I need to know… what happened. Besides, I don't want to lose anyone else that's important to me."

That was enough for the half-demon, who embraced the girl. He had missed her so much!

Kikyo just smiled from her place. This wasn't anything related to a love confession but it was definitely something important in their relationship. They still needed to talk about that someday… but right now wasn't the time. Someday.

* * *

><p>"I understand…" Lady Kaede was sitting behind her desk, while chatting with Kikyo and Sango. Kikyo had spoken with Sango and both of them had decided to tell everything to Kaede. "Yeah… I remember that a couple of years ago Ill- Iyun…" The old lady huffed and smiled, without being able to say his name. "I'm sorry. I remember that a couple of years ago, Israel and the guys went with me to do some shopping and while we were returning home he and Kouga were discussing or something like that. I don't really remember, but he was walking behind all of us, really angry. They used to argue a lot so I didn't pay attention. Israel is the kind of guy who the more you argue, the worst the discussion is and the fight just keeps continuing. So you can imagine how were those days when Kouga or Miroku decided to bother him-"<p>

"Yes, I understand, Lady Kaede, but please keep on topic."

"Oh, sorry Kikyo," the old lady smiled a bit, "well, where was I...? Oh yeah,Israel. That time he deviated from the way we used to take, I didn't realize it until we were home. A couple of hours later he came back without the shopping bags that he was originally carrying and clearly disturbed. He didn't talk to anybody for two or three days after that.

"Do you think that it could be that time when he kil- killed Kag's father?" asked Sango, her voice trembling. Things just seemed so unfair for both of them. Kagome had lost a loved one and the one responsible was someone who she also loved and didn't want to lose. How was she supposed to react to that?

"Yes, for what you're telling me, I'm pretty sure that it was then when that happened. I remember that after that day he turned even more coarse and rude, even more than before… He has been through so much."

Both girls looked through the window of the room towards the terrace, where they could see their friends eating their lunch and chatting happily… but Kagome wasn't with them and Inuyasha was sitting and eating alone in a corner of the building.

"Things… aren't going well." Kikyo sighed, irritated. She looked towards the other building in front of them. Through the window they could see Kagome sitting and apparently studying in one of the classrooms. "And all she does is avoid the real world…"

"A lot of people do that to not suffer anymore. It's fine as long as they don't get closed inside themselves for good. Sometimes someone just needs to escape," spoke Kaede, looking at the girl, just as Kikyo was doing.

"But it isn't fair…" whispered Sango, depressed… Kagome and Inuyasha didn't deserve to suffer. Not now. Not anymore.

* * *

><p>"Inuyasha, do you mind if I sit next to you?"<p>

"Whatever I say you'll still do it, right Miroku?" asked the hanyou, looking at him from the corner of his eyes. The monk only smiled and placed himself beside his friend.

"So… you finally discovered his identity – Sango told me. You should be grateful to see that despite all that, Miss Kagome really cares about you and doesn't want you to stay away from her."

"And yet these last days she has been avoiding me. Even if she told me to stay, we have barely spoken to each other. She spends her time inside her classroom, supposedly studying and today she didn't even come to take her lunch with m- us," the hanyou corrected himself, blushing slightly. "What am I supposed to do, Miroku? I hurt her. I damaged her in the cruelest way possible…"

Miroku looked at the sky, unable to say anything. There was nothing that he could say, really.

"She told me that she wanted me to tell her the whole truth, but not yet. She said that when the moment to talk comes, she would tell me but… if she asks me for the whole truth, if she asks me to be completely sincere with her…"

"You will tell her that you love her" finished Miroku, raising an eyebrow at him. Inuyasha stared at him clearly shocked and surprised. Was he that obvious? What the hell had that girl done to him? "Oh! It's that true, then? I thought that Sango was just delirious!" exclaimed the monk when he saw his friend's surprised expression.

It took a few seconds for Inuyasha to realize that he himself had made Miroku realize his feelings toward the girl.

"Damn it, Miroku!" he yelled, annoyed, before turning his head and looking towards the courts of the school. He didn't notice the smirk that appeared on his friend's face who had acted like that on purpose to snap him out of that 'depressed trance' he had been in.

_'What has Kagome done to me?'_

* * *

><p>"I finished!" exclaimed the girl, entering her room and dropping over one of the beds, throwing away her backpack and taking off her shoes. If Shippou weren't in the room she would have gladly taken off her school uniform too.<p>

"Have your exams already finished, Kagome?" asked the little kid, smiling softly.

"Yes! And from now on I have two delicious weeks to rest!" she exclaimed, with joy.

"It's good to see you smile again," Kikyo spoke, entering the room closely followed by Inuyasha. She also threw away her backpack and sat on the other bed in the room.

The hanyou stood in the doorframe, without knowing what to do.

"What do you mean? I'm perfectly fine," Spoke Kagome, smiling.

With a fake smile.

"Kagome…" Inuyasha said, approaching the girl. Even when she didn't move away from him and when he spoke she had turned her eyes towards him, and kept her smile, he could notice that she was tense when she noticed that he was there.

"What is it, Inuyasha?" Fake. That smile was false. That look was false. That sweet and nice voice tone was false… everything she showed him was false!

Kikyo took Shippo in her arms and left the room. This time, both needed to talk. And to ensure that neither of them would escape, she locked the door of the room. From the balcony the only one who could escape was Inuyasha and obviously he was the one willing to talk. There was no problem now.

"Why do you do this to yourself, Kagome?" he asked, weakly. His ears were lowered almost flat against his skull. He, who couldn't like, knew how to recognize the falsity from miles away.

"I don't know what are you talking about, Inuyasha." But her smile faltered a bit.

"You asked me to not leave, apparently you accepted the facts without a big fuss and then you act like this." Inuyasha sighed with irritation and scratched the back of his head, feeling helpless. "I hate seeing you angry or crying because of me, but if you need to do it, you need to do it. It isn't good for you to drown yourself in your own suffering."

Kagome looked down as Inuyasha spoke.

"Neither was it fine to order you to die…"

"No, it wasn't. But it was your love for your father speaking, Kagome. It's natural that your subconscious seeks to protect him."

"I don't know what's happening to me…" Kagome finally looked into Inuyasha's eyes, a look between depressed and crying for help. "I mean… I should kick you out of here but I can't do it. You're someone important to me, Inuyasha but… you killed my father."

_'That is a fact'_, Inuyasha thought to himself. Even he felt uncomfortable being in that house. He felt he didn't deserve it.

"And yet… I can't tell you anything. And then I feel that I'm humiliating – I can't find the right word… dishonoring? insulting? – My father's memory for letting you be near us. What would he say to me? I feel so guilty… I… I wish to know what he would tell me, I…" Kagome gradually broke up until she ended speaking in whispers and soft moaning, because of her crying.

Inuyasha walked over to her and hugged her. She didn't complain.

"I understand what you're saying. God, of course I understand it. But your father never blamed you. Not even for a moment think that he's mad at you. You didn't know anything. You were just looking for a way to help me… and despite all… look how I repaid you."

The girl didn't say anything, but she slowly raised her arms and hugged him back. Yes, he had taken his father's life but… she couldn't blame him!

"It's also true that I didn't know who he was. And he… he was so badly injured, Kagome… I still dream with that day. I've never stopped thinking how could I have helped him. If there had been another way… If only I had passed through that place earlier, perhaps…" Inuyasha trailed off at the memories. At those torturous memories. "And when I discovered he was your father… God, Kagome, you have no idea of how miserable I felt…"

She lifted her eyes.

"I didn't know that you had also suffered for his death," she spoke softly and then sighed deeply. "I guess that in some way or another… this is something that made us both miserable."

Finally she had calmed down. Inuyasha was relieved for a few seconds.

"You know… nevertheless I wouldn't change anything. Yeah, I miss my father so much but – and even if I feel like a damn girl for thinking like this, because I don't think it's okay to say that kind of thing – if to have him back I would have to loose you, Shippo and even Kikyo, if I had to return to my old home and not been able to see you again I would rather not… I would prefer that everything run its course as it is… I've already lost him. I couldn't bear to lose any of you.

Inuyasha was touched by her words. It was true, it sounded a bit cruel but what was done was done and, to be honest, he also couldn't live without Kagome. Good or bad… who could determine what was right and what was wrong? He wasn't a bad person. He knew it. Shippo had told him too. Even Kagome's mother had told him that he was a good boy, even after he told her the truth. All she had done was to smile sadly and thank him for had taken away the suffering from her husband.

"You think you could… tell me now what happened?" Asked Kagome, alter a few seconds in silence.

"Is that an order?" asked Inuyasha, softly. He needed to take out that story from his heart but he didn't want to hurt even more the girl in his arms.

"The truth doesn't kill, Inuyasha…" She repeated the phrase she had said a few nights ago. "I need to know it and you need to get free of that episode… besides, this will help us to get over it… because we'll do it together."

Inuyasha stared deeply into Kagome's eyes. 'Together.' He loved when she said that word. Even if it wasn't said with the meaning that he craved, it filled his heart with joy to know that at least she thought of him as someone important in her life.

"Are you sure?" He asked, one last time.

Kagome just nodded and sat down on the bed again.

Inuyasha took a seat beside her and started his tale: the story of that fateful day two years ago, where he had his first and last encounter with Kagome's father.

+ e `8 V her and started his tale: the story of that fateful day two years ago, where he had his first and last encounter with Kagome's father.


	10. Two years ago

**_Author notes: _**_Well, here it is: the story of what happened two years ago. I hope that with this your doubts get cleared and to not disappoint you with this chapter. It took me a lot of effort to write it but I believe that the hardest part of the fanfic has come to an end. Finally the past that linked Inuyasha with Kagome's father will be revealed and well it was hard to be Inuyasha in this position, but it helped me a lot to have dreamt of what Kagome's father looked like – and once you read it you'll understand what I mean and yes, I dreamt him that way. I think that I managed to convey every feeling and picture in the chapter and I hope you won't criticize me a lot for this 'dark twist'. I promise you that the next chapter will be more enjoyable and without big problems ^^ I hope you enjoy this. And thanks to all of you for your lectures (Over 200 the last episode! *o*), your reviews and comments ^^ see you the next Friday!_

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: Besides the plot line, I don't own anything. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Yomiuri TV Corporation. I'm not getting any profit from this story; this was just made for fun.

**Warning**: **Explicit descriptions of violence**. Blood, and that kind of stuff so if you're sensitive of stomach, you know what to do ^^U at least for me this episode is really hard and maybe there is bad language? I'm not so sure what you consider bad language... ^^U

**Thanks to**: Thanks to my beta reader, PandaStarz, for her wonderful work on this chapter.

* * *

><p><strong>Slavery.<strong>

**Author: **MikoAucarod

Chapter 10: Two years ago...

* * *

><p>"You've done it this time, Kouga! He's gonna kill us!"<p>

"He'll never catch us, Miroku! He's a weak little puppy!"

"Shut up, you mangy wolf!"

"Israel, don't yell, I'm right next to you."

"Sorry, Lady Kaede," grumbled the half-demon, walking beside her while watching how Miroku and Kouga were trying in vain to run.

"Lady Kaede, for all the sacred things please lift your order. If we don't escape from Inuyasha right now, he'll kill us," sobbed Miroku, walking as fast as he could since Kaede's order had been 'Don't run today, take it easy' so…

"Well, Miroku, you must understand that it's really dangerous for an old lady like me to wander around this place alone. Especially now, after dark."

"But with Sesshomaru you would be more than protected," the wolf demon exclaimed this time, while carrying around five or six plastic bags containing food and things they had just bought.

"Maybe, but I don't like to go out and be in silence the whole way back home."

Touché.

"Keh! Well I don't see why that mangy wolf had to come along. Miroku and I should have been enough."

"Oh, for the love of God! Can't a woman have the company of life-long companions for a few hours?" she laughed at the complaints of her little family. To her they weren't Slaves, they were like her own sons – even if before they had been like her parents, then her brothers, and she even had a crush on one of them when she was 15 – with Sesshomaru around, who could resist? "Anyway, I just don't want you to keep fighting for today, please."

Inuyasha frowned at Kouga, without being able to replicate anything of what he said.

"Did you know Miroku, that dogs are called the human's best friends because they are always running behind their masters as the animals they are?"

"Kouga, I don't think this is the moment to-" the monk tried to interrupt, catching immediately the wolf's intentions. If he couldn't fight, he would indirectly insult.

"No, I'm serious, I saw this documental on TV… and of course, I saw it myself centuries ago, when I wasn't a Slave. The landowners and the leaders gave an order and the dogs launched themselves to obey without thinking about it."

Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, severely upset. Lady Kaede wasn't getting the double meaning of Kouga's words and listened to him attentively, believing he was talking about common pets… How wrong she was!

"Lady Kaede ordered us not to run, but nothing will happen if you stop for a moment and wait until you can't hear Kouga's words," Sesshoumaru spoke, cold and discreetly as always, to Inuyasha who looked at him with surprise. If it was true that they didn't hate each other, in the nearly seventy years they have been living with Kaede they had talked about… fifty times at most? Well, with Sesshomaru you never had something to talk about.

The young hanyou slowed his steps, allowing himself to relax once he noticed how the others were turning a corner. He waited for ten seconds and then began to walk again, carrying the three bags that Kaede had entrusted him with: The loaves of bread, milk cans and butter.

Sesshomaru's advice worked since Inuyasha was walking behind the others without hearing the absurd critics that Kouga was saying towards him, with arrogance and without looking back. Kaede was so engrossed listening to the wolf that she didn't notice Inuyasha's absence.

The hanyou had never understood why, but there had always been rivalry between he and Kouga. Always. At the Sengoku whenever they were near each other they used to insult each other and fight, there was blood and bruises somewhere and then they took out their own path… That was the way they demonstrated their friendship? Because he accepted that he didn't hate him but he neither was saint of his devotion…

"Stupid thoughts," he scolded himself. He couldn't allow himself to open up to anyone else again; he didn't even know how he would feel once Kaede died. He didn't want to keep suffering for his friend's and loved ones lost. He had to not establish any friendship with anybody. At what moment had his thoughts turned in that direction?

"Som-someone…" There was a murmur inaudible to humans and almost undetected by Inuyasha. He heard it at the moment he had passed near an alley that divided the main street from a courtyard between old and abandoned buildings. The half-demon observed the place carefully, before he continued his way. Maybe the ghosts of his past were tricking his mind again.

"St-stop… this… some-…-one…" There it was again: the murmur. This time Inuyasha stopped completely. And then he heard a louder noise, coughs and spitting, very strong coughs. There was something at the abandoned square.

Kaede and the others had continued on without noticing anything. What could happen if he separated from them a few moments? She hadn't ordered him not to follow…

Inuyasha made a decision and entered the black alley, following the nearly inaudible moaning… He could almost hear Kouga saying: 'Just like a little and curious puppy'. He scolded himself for thinking about that and cast that stupid wolf from his mind. Kouga insulted him often enough; he didn't need to add to it.

As soon as the clock struck midnight – because the old lady had told them to not fight just for that day – he would make sure to give that mangy wolf a good reason to-

Inuyasha stopped abruptly his line of thoughts and the bags in his hands fell to the ground. A second later they were abandoned since the half-demon walked as fast as he could towards the body that was lying between a small wall that divided an old play area and some trash cans that had been dropped near it.

When he stood beside him – it seemed to take him minutes to reach the body – he kneeled and noticed, with horror, that it was a human being, a Slave just like him. He was wearing a gray shackle, which had a silver stone in its center, on his left wrist. He was badly injured.

And saying that he was badly injured was an understatement. How was it possible for that man to still be able to breath?

Throughout his entire naked chest – since his shirt was tattered because of the cuts - he had countless knife wounds and of what he could tell in the dark he had at least 20 bullet shots, all in vital points of the body. Several of them were at the height of his heart and others over his lungs and stomach as well as one that had passed cleanly through the center of his throat.

His legs were extended at an odd angle and through the holes in his pants he could see severe burn marks. Most of his skin was gray and Inuyasha could swear that for a moment he had seen a part of the shin and knee bones of the man.

At first sight the arms appeared to be intact but Inuyasha saw that they were too thin at the back of them and he preferred to not corroborate if what he had saw a few steps of the body was his own flesh.

The face of that man – who nevertheless remained conscious and breathing – showed lots of injuries, not enough to disfigure his face, but enough to pierce part of his skin. Dried blood covered his front and skull.

Inuyasha could swear that if he touched the back of his head he would find a really disgusting surprise.

Making big efforts to not pass out from the horror in front of him – he knew that not even Sesshomaru would have been immune to this situation – Inuyasha looked at the man's eyes. One of them had a lost gaze in some indefinite point, while the other one was looking intently at his own eyes. With his brown eye – of a deep chocolate color – looked at him supplicant.

"Make… it stop…" he managed to whisper – how, it was a mystery to Inuyasha. Tears mixed with dirty and dry blood while falling from his eyes. How many hours had he been in that state? None of his wounds were bleeding and yet he was still alive, how was that possible?

"Who did this to you? Who are you? My owner isn't so far away, I can ask her to-" Inuyasha stood up, ready to go look for the others. They shouldn't be so far away since Kaede tended to walk really slow but before he could do anything, the left hand of the man – the one with the shackle and the one that looked less hurt – managed to get a grip on Inuyasha's right ankle. That stopped him completely.

He could have got free so easily, but he didn't want to bring one more wound to that man.

"Ta-take it… off… make… it stop…" he repeated tirelessly, with his tears falling and almost undetectable moans of pain coming out of his injured throat.

"You need help, I can bring it to you, I-"

"I ne-need… my… fre… freed-" a new cough attack interrupted the man's plea. Inuyasha closed his eyes just in time, since he could hear how the Slave at his feet was spitting not only blood, but his own entrails. He could swear it.

The half-demon kneeled again and with his haori cleaned, so delicately, his face. The strange man looked as if every breath was breaking his soul.

"The… shackle… make… it stop…"

The hanyou looked again his hand. He noticed that the man was making an effort while trying to lift his left hand in the air so he took it with his own hand, with strength but without hurting him. He tried to transmit some of his own energy and some warm… that hand was cold and bruised!

"I must take off the shackle? That's what you want?"

He, just God knew how, nodded his head.

"But that would kill you…" Inuyasha then understood. If he took of his shackle… for people they were just rumors. That once you take off the shackle of a Slave, he dies. But he had seen, with the passing of years, how people simply withdrew the object from their Slaves and they fell lifeless to the ground, almost immediately. Did this man want him to become a murderer?

"No…" he whispered again, noticing how Inuyasha had intentions to leave again.

"There must be a way to help you!"

"No…" the man shook his head again, almost desperately. That was the only thing that would work. He needed him to release himself.

"I won't kill someone innocent! Tell me who did this and I'll make them pay, I'll demand them to give you your freedom, but I can't do this!" He exclaimed, with all his feelings on the surface. He, kill a Slave? To someone like him?

"They won't… lift the- the ord-… order…"

"What order?"

"Keep… breathing…"

Those two words… For just those two words! For something like that he-! Why hadn't he left that stupid discussion with Kouga? That way he could have run and go faster towards home than the others, as he usually did, and maybe, just maybe, he would have found out who did this. Maybe he could have saved him. Why did he have to kill him? Why he couldn't left him there of take him with someone? Why did he feel so-?

"No… my son, don't blame yourself…" he was surprised at hearing him speak. It was as if all his remaining strength had been saved for this moment. "This isn't… your fault at all… it'll never be. And even less keep grudges against- against them… don't pity yourself and- and don't… don't keep bad feelings inside your heart. Please don't torture yourself, I- I… I don't judge them… I'm nobody to judge them… that would- that would just kill my soul. Grudges kill the soul."

The soul? Goddammit, if that was true then those people who had done this were the Devil itself. There's no way that they could have a soul! No one could have been so cruel to-! There was no way!

"Don't… kill your soul…" the man said again, begging with his stare at the hanyou in front of him. "… name?"

Inuyasha observed him, completely shocked, how was it that he-?

"Isr-… my name... is Inuyasha." He finally spoke, tightening his fangs and taking the wrist of the man in front of him between his claws. With a clean cut the shackle wouldn't be in contact with his skin anymore.

He didn't want to become a murderer… but he wasn't either a sadistic bastard who left people suffering like this. What he was about to commit wasn't a murderer. He had to repeat that to himself a thousand times. This wasn't because he was a bad person. He had to save this man's soul. That person was begging to him… and that God had mercy for what he was about to do.

The man managed to smile weakly, even between so much pain he could find a little peace, knowing that he was being accompanied for someone, even if he was a complete stranger. A stranger who he would make sure to take care of and protect from the other world. He swore, for his daughter, Kagome, that he would take care of Inuyasha. He would do that for him.

"Thank you… Inu..yasha..."

The younger one closed his eyes and clenched his claws around the shackle to then remove them with haste from the arm of the man. The shackle was lying over the floor, broken into pieces. The man's arm was intact, Inuyasha hadn't cause any injury to him but he felt as if in any other second he would break down, because of the pain. He didn't know why, but he felt that he had done something outrageous.

When he opened his eyes, with an overshadowed look, he stared at the motionless body in front of him. The man kept the faintly smile he had managed to do at the end, for him. His closed eyes gave his face an expression of deep peace.

"... eleven... twelve... thirteen... fourteen... fifteen." Inuyasha started to gasp for air.

He had just… he had just…

* * *

><p>"A while later, I-" Inuyasha put his arm at Kagome's back.<p>

At some part of his tale, Kagome had hugged him and hid her face in his chest, clenching tightly to his clothes. Sometimes he felt her silent tears wet his chest, but she never made any sound. At first Inuyasha had interrupted himself for her but she had begged him to continue.

After a few seconds in silence, where he dedicated to lightly stroke the back of the girl between his arms, he continued.

"A while later I searched if there was something that belonged to him at that place, something that could help me to identify him. There wasn't anything. Not even an empty wallet, – its trace would have served, and at that moment I imagined again Kouga's insults, – but there wasn't anything. Then I decided to wait and see if any cop or ambulance, anything, could pass for that place during its night rounds. But nobody came… about an hour later I decided to go with Kaede and tell her about what had happened but… the order of not run was still existing. And if they saw me with his body in my arms in- in that state I- I wanted to-… I needed to know that-… but…"

"I understand, Inuyasha," she whispered, looking at him. "If they had seen you with him they would have accused you of the murder."

"I did kill him."

"But you weren't the one who hurt him. They would have accused you of all the atrocities that those people had committed against him. You just granted his wish… please, go on."

Inuyasha observed the girl's face. She was staring the floor, lost in thought, but paying attention to every single word from him, every movement, every gesture.

"When I got to Kaede's house, I was so angry because of that stupid order that I didn't speak to them for two or three days. I-… I felt like scum. I don't know… it was horrible." He finally confessed, shaking slightly. That wasn't unnoticed by the young girl, who turned again to look him at his eyes. "When I finally could communicate with someone by phone, without the others knowing – since they would start an interrogation and I wasn't feeling well enough to answer it… or worse, to be forced to answer it. – I called an emergency number and told them that I had heard shots and screams at that abandoned square. I prayed for your father to still be there and I hoped that that way someone would be able to identify him and return him with his beloved ones. I knew that he was from this era, because of his clothes but I… I didn't think at that moment that the calls were anonymous and that's why they never reported back to me to let me know what had happened. When finally it passed midnight, I quickly ran to the square, free from Kaede's orders had given for that day… but there was no one anymore."

This time was Kagome the one who remembered. She and her mother had been at the living room of their old house, waiting for news from the city. They knew that her father was a Slave, but in one of the occasions where his master hadn't ordered him to not speak with other and he had been forced to rob the house, he had told them that he would find a way to escape and return with them. It was then when the phone rang and the Police Officer had told her mother that they had found his corpse… and it was then when all her world had collapsed.

"For a long time I searched in the news, newspapers, radio, TV, anything." Inuyasha continued with his tale, lost in thoughts, releasing everything what he had lived and kept locked up for two years. "Any clue, to know that his family had found him and that they knew he was resting in a decent place… but simply nothing came out. There was no trace of him. It was as if he had never existed."

And Kagome knew the reason. Because he had been a Slave, the people hadn't seen him as important and they found out because of the remains of the shackle near his body.

"It's just another Slave's death," had told the one writer of the newspaper when he denied to publish the wake of death. "Do you imagine how would this be if we made one for every single Slave that dies? The newspaper would never finish. Now get out of here."

And that's how it had been…

Inuyasha felt Kagome's hands touching delicately his cheeks. She was removing a couple of tears that had escaped from his eyes. He didn't notice when that had happened and began to scold himself, but at least she seemed to have calmed down and stop crying.

"Thank you so much, Inuyasha." She spoke, without removing her hands from his face. "I know that you did what you could and now I understand a lot of things that before this were just unknown to me… I… thank you."

He lowered his gaze, feeling powerless because he felt that it was getting more and more difficult to retain his crying, but he didn't dare to be apart the girl at his side. He felt stupid. He… needed her that way…

"It isn't humiliating to release your suffering. You told me to not drown myself in my own suffering, don't force you to do the same thing; don't hold your suffering anymore. Here I am." He heard Kagome's voice, and it was as if he had needed to hear those words to finally break down.

Inuyasha hugged the girl with despair and this time it was he who cried into her chest, finally releasing that anguish, that pain, that guilt, all of those dark feelings he had kept within him for over two years.

* * *

><p>At the other side of the room, Kikyo, with tears in her eyes, moved apart the chair locking the door and then she went down stairs, followed closely by Kagome's mother and Shippo who comforted her ensuring that, at that time when Kagome's father had needed company, had needed someone to accompany him in his last moments, there couldn't have been anyone better than Inuyasha.<p> 


	11. To the beach!

**Author notes: ** I know, you hate me! V.V Oh well, what can I do xP I'll still continue this fic, I'm sorry for the angst in the last chapter, but I hope you enjoy this one ^^ even if we're in winter were I live, let's go to the beach! Thank you for your reviews, reads and alerts, and welcome to the new people that are now reading this story! ^^ I hope to not disappoint you.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: Besides the plot line, I don't own anything. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Yomiuri TV Corporation. I'm not getting any profit from this story; this was just made for fun.

**Warning**: Maybe there is bad language? I'm not so sure what you consider bad language... ^^U

**Thanks to**: Thanks to my beta reader, PandaStarz, for her wonderful work on this chapter.

* * *

><p><strong>Slavery.<strong>

**Author: **MikoAucarod

Chapter 11: To the beach!

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><p>"Summer!" Kagome yelled happily, while running around the entire schoolyard, not caring what other people thought about her.<p>

"She looks very happy," Sesshomaru said, standing beside Inuyasha on the top of one of the buildings. They observed how the girl passed her arms behind Kagura's and Sango's backs and started to run in circles with them from one side to other.

"Yeah, she's content," whispered Inuyasha, who looked tenderly towards the girl who was smiling like there was no tomorrow.

"Can we know the cause?" Kouga approached the rail and then Ayame, who was just exiting one of the buildings waved at him, signaling that she was in a hurry. "Oh crap, I forgot, we have to pick up her parents at the District Attorney's Office. See you later, guys!" and then Kouga jumped from the roof towards the next building, from which he leapt once more on top of a tree and then he jumped to the ground agilely.

"The District Attorney's Office?" Miroku observed the way Kouga and Ayame had taken and then he glanced towards Sesshomaru. "Are Ayame's parents in some kind of trouble?"

"Not at all. Her father is one of the highest judges of this city. Her mother is the boss of the Department of Human Resources of the Federation."

Inuyasha and Miroku stared, shocked, at Ayame's back, who was almost lost between the multitude of students. Then her family had lots of money and power.

"Wow, look were Kouga ended up at: a super fancy house full of luxury. Now I'm jealous."

"Why do you say that, Miroku?" Inuyasha returned his attention to Kagome, who was now lying in the grass of a great field in the courtyard and over Kikyo's legs to whom she had apparently tackled to the ground in the midst of her fun.

"Well, Sango's family isn't poor, they have a comfortable life, but her father is so stingy…" Miroku pouted comically, like a little boy who didn't get any candy. "The other day he didn't let me buy a pizza for dinner."

"Miroku, that's not being stingy. That was his attempt to protect the female society from you."

"Sesshomaru, I am positively wounded by your criticism!"

"Hey, guys! Let's go!" yelled Sango, standing next to Kagome who was still on the ground, unable to stop smiling.

The three of them went down from the roof the same way Kouga had earlier done, with Miroku being carried over Inuyasha's back. Despite his enhanced abilities being a Slave, he was still a human.

"What's wrong, Kag? Hurry up, I want to get home and eat."

"Vacation!" she yelled, shinning with happiness "I can't believe we're finally on vacation! I thought this day would never come! We can go to the beach, Inuyasha! It isn't so far away from here, but I didn't liked the idea of go back and forth everyday. We can even camp in the forest if you want, or we can take a trip out of the country – I can talk about it with my mom – oh, oh, oh! I know! Maybe we could-!"

"Stop it, stop it, yeah, we'll do that, we'll do whatever you want but let's go now, I'm starving!" interrupted Inuyasha placing his claws over her mouth, always being careful and not hurting her. She blushed because of his sudden proximity.

"Kagome, I can't feel my legs."

"Ah, sorry, Kikyo!" the teenager stood up with a nervous smile and between her and Inuyasha they helped Kikyo stand again, though she was off-balance.

"I think one of my legs is asleep."

"Oh, that can be solved so easily," Sango said, with a malicious smile.

"No, don't you dare!" Kikyo couldn't get away because Inuyasha was holding her by her arms. Sango approached and slapped Kikyo just above her knee, sending a pins-and-needles sensation throughout her leg.

"That should do it."

"You're so mean!" Kikyo pouted and started to walk slowly, because of the pain in her leg once it had woken up.

"Hahahaha, I'm sorry Kikyo," Kagome was again smiling. Inuyasha and she approached the girl, "But it was an occasion that we rarely have, you should have seen your expression when Sango was-"

"Kagome," called Inuyasha, softly. She stared at him in confusion but all he did was to shake his head slightly and signal with it to Kikyo, who was giving her back at them.

She had suddenly stopped her walk and was looking towards the school entrance, with a look of hurt, anger, and disappointment.

In front of them, a couple was walking. He was a very handsome man who Kagome recognized as the one who usually took Kikyo in his car from school. He was taking the hand of a girl that seemed to be younger than them - maybe she was a second year. Both were chatting and minding their own business. The young man at certain moment turned his head back and saw Kikyo, but not even two seconds later he turned again and continued walking and chatting as if he hadn't see anything.

Everyone remained silent until both of they had gone up to a car that was stationed near the building and marched towards the main road.

"Kikyo, who was he?" asked Kagura, approaching with caution and placing her hand over the shoulder of the black-haired girl, offering her support, but she just dropped her eyes slightly and then sighed deeply.

"Nobody important. He's just another waste of my life, nothing more…" after a couple of seconds, she glanced up and observed Kagome with a small smile on her face, "Can we go now, Kag?"

"Yeah, sure."

After saying good-bye to their friends, Inuyasha, Kagome and Kikyo went to the school bus, as usual and boarded waiting with eagerness to get home. It had taken a lot of time to make Inuyasha travel with them – just as some other Slaves used to do – and not over the bus roof or running by his account.

"Well, well. It's none other than Miss 'I'm-better-than-you'. What brings you again to the world of normal people who take the school bus? Oh, that's right, you're as poor as we are, aren't you?" one of the girls already sitting on the bus bullied Kikyo, when she saw the trio get in.

"You're boring with that old joke, exaggerated idiot." Kagome answered coldly, passing them as if they didn't exist. Kikyo followed her closely without letting her gaze down, despite the fact that her eyes were beginning to water. Inuyasha growled to the group of girls that were laughing at them making them squeak with terror. He then put his arm on top of the shoulder of the black-haired girl, showing her support and making her walk faster. He had no objection to detest those stupid girls… was it good or bad?

Once they took a seat at their usual place, at the end of the bus, the rest of the people lost interest in them. With time they would leave them alone. That was the only thing that kept Kikyo unbreakable, but every day it was getting more and more difficult to do this.

Since Kikyo had been sincere with her family, she had told them that every time she surrounded the forest was to get to a rich neighborhood people on the other side of it, from where she pretended to leave from one of the houses and was always picked up by the same guy that had turned his back on her today.

Just as Kagome had told her, everyone turned to be hypocrite and just treated her for interest in all the money she'd claimed to have. When Kikyo showed herself as she really was, almost all of her 'friends' turned their back to her. And well, how was it possible that the most popular girl in school had become the 'weird girl' of the whole school?

Kagome didn't have problems with that anymore, but Kikyo was having a hard time adapting to her new life. She was achieving it, she was learning to ignore the teasing, learning to really value the people who really deserved it, to not break up in front of the people who didn't deserved it in order to avoid more teasing. But most of all, she was learning to not keep grudges against them.

Because that just killed the soul.

They had all practically adopted that ideology as a life style. Kagome, Kikyo and Inuyasha owed that phrase a lot, since they had suffered lots of things in different kinds of ways but that little phrase, step by step was giving them back their lives, their calm and their peace.

"I really admire your courage, Kikyo," Inuyasha finally spoke, sitting next to her. Kagome was sitting on his left. "You've done very well."

"Thanks, Inuyasha." The girl smiled softly, staring thoughtfully into space. "I know that I'm not wrong. I know that for the first time in years I'm finally doing the right thing, and this sooner or later will bring me happiness… but you can't help the hurt inside. I guess that a part of me was hoping that despite the hypocrisy and the lies, someone who called himself a friend of mine would support me. But as you see, everyone turned their backs on me."

"Maybe that's true, Kikyo," Kagome inclined herself to the front to speak with her cousin. "But you're not alone, you have-"

"I have you two, Sango, Kagura, Ayame and the guys, I know," Kikyo smiled sweetly, "I know I'm not alone and I never said that I felt bad for being myself. I'm not ashamed either. It's just…"

"You're hurting because you trusted in them, and they neglected you in the end," finished Inuyasha, closing his eyes crossing his arms. "That will end sooner or later. No matter what, you'll get over all this soon and you'll realize that, for having kept firm in what you believe, you got what you wanted, even if the path is hard. I really admire your courage."

Both girls smiled at the blushing hanyou, a clear signal that he had once again spoken with his heart and not been able to stop himself because he couldn't lie.

* * *

><p>"And I think that will be all," Kagome said proudly, while she wiped the sweat from her forehead, admiring her masterpiece.<p>

"Why did you insist on making a building with all our suitcases, Kagome?" Sango observed, with a large drop of sweat on her head, the tower that the girl had created on the roof of the van they had rented.

"I was bored, you can't blame me."

"But Kagome, that won't be able to pass under bridges."

"You're right… Inuyasha!"

"It wasn't me!" they heard him yell from the interior of the apartment, making the women laugh out loud.

"Are we done yet, guys?" asked Ayame, sitting on top of the van's hood with Kouga standing next to her. "I'm dying of boredom, here."

"Sorry Ayame, but Shippo and Inuyasha are being slow with packing their belongings."

"Shouldn't it be you and not the dog taking forever?" Kouga seemed surprised. Normally, Inuyasha usually took no time for Inuyasha to decide what to— "Oh! That's right, Miroku is with them. I understand it now; this will take a while." And then he began to laugh.

* * *

><p>"For the last time, Miroku, leave my stuff alone!"<p>

"But Inuyasha, this is so old! Why the hell do you need these jeans to go to the beach? The swimsuit is more than enough!"

"Unlike you, pervert," Inuyasha answered him while snatching the pair of jeans that he intended to pack out of Miroku's hands, "I'm not only going to the beach to lay in the sand and stare at girls."

"Inuyasha, you wound me!"

"Yeah, right. Shut up and take this suitcases downstairs, and don't you dare to open them to see what's inside!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'll do it. But hurry up. The girls are waiting for us."

Once Miroku left, with a couple of suitcases under his arms, Inuyasha observed around the room, to check that nothing was forgotten. Then he noticed Shippo who was still sitting over his bed, staring quietly out at the balcony.

"What's wrong, runt?" he asked, approaching the little kid who sighed and stared the floor.

"Everything's all right, right?"

"Be more specific."

"… all between us… you and Kagome… you're not pretending or lying, are you?"

"I can't lie, Shippo. We both talked to each other, it's been weeks, months, since that thing with Kag's father, and with time, she's been accepting it."

"Then that smile of hers… it's real?"

"I guarantee you that."

Shippo smiled openly and then they both exited the house and placed the last suitcases in the car.

"All right, all of you be very careful." Ms. Higurashi waved her goodbyes, while kissing her daughter and giving a hug to Inuyasha. "And promise me that you won't do anything reckless and that you'll take care these two months. Oh, I wish I could go with you so much, but who would take care of the house?"

"Mom, I insisted that Mr. Totousai or Mr. Myoga could take care of it, but you said no."

Ms. Higurashi smiled internally at her little bit of mischief. Of course she didn't want to go. She wished to have excellent news from Kagome and Inuyasha once they came back. If she were there she felt that it would interfere with their relationship.

How would her grandsons look with doggy ears?

"Aunt!" Kikyo called for the fifth time, bringing her out of her daydreams. "You'd better rest for a while. It seemed like you were dreaming."

And the lady smiled again, of course she was dreaming. She was dreaming for a beautiful future for her daughter.

* * *

><p>"Beach!" yelled Kagura, Kanna – her little sister – Sango, Kagome with Shippo over her shoulders, Kikyo and Ayame while running wildly all over the place as if their lives depended on it.<p>

Miroku, Inuyasha, Sesshomaru and Kouga observed, a bit angry, how all of them were left to deal with the suitcases.

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><p>"We're definitely the weirdest Slaves in the entire world," commented Kouga, once they finished getting the last of the suitcases in their corresponding room of the cottage they were going to spend that summer. It was a big wooden house, with lots of rooms, which seemed to be from a rich family but now it was abandoned and according to Kagome, the earlier owner approved them being there. It was like her summer house.<p>

"So this is the summer house of lady Kagome. You, Inuyasha, are so lucky. Just imagine it: you have this entire house just for you two."

"Shut up, Miroku. If you haven't noticed it, you're all going to be here too."

"Oh, so then what Miroku was saying is true? You're in love with Kagome?" Kouga smirked, but not haughtily. It was almost as if he was happy and grateful. "I'm glad to see that you have finally come out of that shell of yours, pal."

"Shell?" the half-demon seemed confused.

"Yeah, you know that thing you once told me about not opening up to anyone again. Centuries ago, every time we fought each other you seem determined to protect the ones you cared for. With time, you started to fight to protect yourself. And finally you just fought because they ordered you to do it. It wasn't you at all. I'm glad to see that you were able to get over it and go on."

"Kouga's right, Inuyasha. Maybe we're not the best friends in the world, but we're happy for you. I'm sure that lady Kagome also likes you very much. Definitely, all your previous suffering is being compensated for right now."

Inuyasha couldn't answer that. He could feel he was blushing so he stared at his feet, in thin and comfortable sandals, as if they were the most interesting things in the world.

"To be honest… I'm not sure how I let this happen… two years ago…" Inuyasha walked towards the window and observed the girls having fun, every one of them smiling, without a care in the world. "After what happened with Kagome's father I realized that no matter what, with or without a shell, as you called it, Kouga… it hurt the same." The hanyou put his hand over his heart, not looking at Kagome anymore, but far beyond her, much further back in time.

The two youkai and the monk watched, a bit shocked, between them. Inuyasha had never been as sincere as he was right now. Miroku smiled, and the two others relax. Definitely, Kagome's influence was beneficial to the boy.

"The only thing that I managed to get for ignoring other people, being cold and trying to protect myself from the world… was making me feel miserable. I looked forward to death more than anything else…" Inuyasha trailed off. "I- I remember that era very well. Those

times were insufferable for hanyous like me… and when finally the death found me and I wasn't allowed to go beyond it I thought 'why the hell do these things happen to me?' but then all that hell that I went through…" Inuyasha directed his gaze again towards Kagome. He wasn't caring anymore what was he saying or who was listening to him. This was such a deep conversation with himself. His soul was finally speaking, it was finally seeing again the sun's light. "All that suffering… everything was worth it. If after that I managed to meet probably the only human being in this earth that is so perfect and accepted me for who I am since the first moment, even with my failures, she- she's always there. Just as I'll always be there for her."

Miroku and Kouga shared a stunned look. The hanyou had whispered that last sentence, but not low enough that they couldn't hear him. But it was obvious that those words weren't meant for them to hear.

Kouga was the first one to react and he approached Inuyasha, grinning. Then he started to hit his head with his knuckles.

"Our little hanyou is in love!" he sang foolishly, teasing Inuyasha. Miroku soon joined in the fun.

On the other hand, Sesshomaru had listened in respectful silence to Inuyasha. Without making noise he approached the window and observed Kagura running in the sand, totally foreign of the world, just concentrating in having fun. That made him smile a bit. That girl could be so volatile, and he loved that, even if he would never admit it out loud.

Seeing her at that moment reminded him of another woman and his look darkened notoriously. He looked away and saw another thing that made him even more tense.

Kanna was running from one side to other, gathering and collecting sea shells. He could hear her say things like, "sure he will like them" and, "never seen one."

Almost painfully, the taiyoukai observed how the little girl was entertaining herself and then, suddenly, he could se her white hair turning black, almost at the same time that his vision did.

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><p>"Hey, Sesshomaru, wake up!"<p>

"For all the demons of- Don't joke like this, there's still a week and a half left to our death's anniversary!"

"This isn't funny, jerk, wake up!"

Finally the youkai opened his eyes. He was reclining on the wall of the cottage. He could still hear the girl's laughter outside, so he imagined that he hadn't spent a lot of time unconscious.

Unbelievable. When was the last time he had fainted? Around seven-hundred, eight-hundred years ago? This was outrageous.

The taiyoukai stood up and, without looking at anyone, he left the room. Everyone stared at each other.

"What do you think could have happened to him?" Miroku asked, clearly shocked at the taiyoukai's sudden faint.

Kouga shrugged and walked to the window, searching for what could possibly have caused that reaction to his friend.

And then he realized it.

"Hey guys… Have I ever told you that Sesshoumaru had a daughter?"

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><p>"Kagome, that's not fair!"<p>

"No-one told me there were rules!" she answered, joking and running away from the girls to whom she had just destroyed their sand's castle.

Between all the persecutions, Kagome stumbled but soon she was caught in the arms of someone. She smiled to herself. Inuyasha was always there taking care of her.

"Thank you for helping me, Inuyas— Hojou?"


	12. Past and thoughts

**_Author notes: _**_Now when I wrote this chapter, I honestly didn't know what to do with Hojou hahaha and to make it worst, at that time I was reading a fanfiction of FFVII, and for the ones that know about the game, you'll understand why I say that I hate Hojou with all my heart, but poor Hojou in here isn't the one to blame for having the same name than that psycho-maniac intent of scientist… anyway xDU I hope you like this chapter ^^ today we'll learn more about Sesshomaru and Kouga's past =D thank you for your reviews, alerts and readings!_

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><p><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: Besides the plot line, I don't own anything. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Yomiuri TV Corporation. I'm not getting any profit from this story; this was just made for fun.

**Warning**: Maybe there is bad language? I'm not so sure what you consider bad language... ^^U

**Thanks to**: Thanks to my beta reader, PandaStarz, for her wonderful work on this chapter.

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><p><strong>Slavery.<strong>

**Author: **MikoAucarod

Chapter 12: Past and thoughts.

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><p>"Hey guys… Have I ever told you that Sesshomaru had a daughter?"<p>

"That Sesshomaru had a- what?" Miroku and Inuyasha looked each other, clearly shocked. The man with ice for a heart had a daughter?

"… centuries ago, Sesshomaru wasn't like this." Kouga looked again through the window and contemplated the scene in front of him. He could see the taiyoukai walking along the beach, looking at the sea to finally seat in one of the rocks near the coast, probably remembering the same thing he was remembering now. "He had a life… both of us had a life…"

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><p>"-and that would be all, General."<p>

"Good, bring the report to Lord Sesshomaru and tell the rest of the clan that we'll part tomorrow.

"As you wish, my Lord."

A group of youkai left the room and only one stayed in his place, a small and green toad-like youkai. He was rolling the scrolls of parchment used at that meeting.

"Jaken, do you have any news about Sarah's condition?"

"She's still in a very delicate state, my Lord," spoke the small youkai, without distracting from his work. "But we have faith that she will recover soon."

"And what about the kid?"

"She's perfectly healthy, although we believe that because of the complications that occurred during Lady Sarah's pregnancy and childbirth, she may not have fully developed her youkai abilities."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well… it's not my place to tell you about this, Sir, but-"

"Speak right now, you worm." Kouga stood up and stepped on Jaken's head, which made a funny noise when his body hit the floor.

"Lord Sesshomaru thinks that probably the child might be only a hanyou or even just a human. Lady Sarah's pregnancy was so delicate that the baby may not have even been born. It's a miracle that she could even breathe on her own.

Kouga then exited the room and went towards the palace's garden where he knew Sesshomaru would be.

The young taiyoukai was sitting under a Sakura tree, and in his arms was a small bundle wrapped in cloth: his only daughter.

The small baby was trying to catch, in vain, a wheat spike that Sesshomaru was using to draw imaginary lines over her forehead.

"She looks fine," spoke Kouga, getting near the baby. Sesshomaru just observed him for a few seconds and then he turned his attention back to the child.

"She's very energetic to be only 2 weeks old. No one would think that she has such delicate health." Sesshomaru's voice was almost a quiet whisper like waters of a small stream. When he spoke, the small baby in his arms directed her gaze towards his face and smiled tenderly.

"Sarah is still in bed?"

"This morning we were walking in the garden, she's delicate health but she's not an invalid. However she could just walk for a couple of minutes before getting tired. Her company ladies took her back to our room. After that, I stayed for a couple more of minutes with Rhin."

"Who would have thought that you could be so paternal?"

"You have any idea of what it is like to be in a room with seven women and a baby that's only a couple of weeks old? They ignore you completely and don't let you get near it. I'm her father, I also have a right to be with her."

Kouga grinned at Sesshoumaru's childish protest. The times in which he acted like that were few, but they demonstrated that inside all the strength of the Lord of the Northern Lands was the same Sesshomaru that had grown up with him.

"A little bird told me that Rhin probably will not inherit any of your youkai abilities. Have you thought of what will you do if that happens?"

"Remind me to kill Jaken."

"Oh, if I reminded you every time you said that, he would have died centuries ago, Sesshomaru. He's just worried about you. After all, he was our protector when we were just pups."

"How was it possible that that toad had once taken care of me?"

Kouga laughed again and took little Rhin in his arms. She fell asleep a few seconds later, letting Sesshomaru stretch a bit.

"You know? I've been thinking about starting my own pack. It wouldn't be a bad idea to have pups running around the castle."

"Yeah, breaking vases, scratching the paintings, sneaking into dangerous rooms or forbidden rooms…"

"Hey! I'll remind you that it was you who had a daughter."

They went silent for a few seconds and then they smiled softly, enjoying that moment of peace that they hadn't had in such a long time.

"How was the meeting?"

"Tomorrow we will go to the northwest. You were right; they had started to concentrate their man on that place. If we keep fighting like until now it will be very easy to recover the northwestern lands. It was definitely an excellent idea to establish us at the north."

"It'll depend on the council decision about what should we do with the pups and women under our care, right?"

"Do you think that we should inform the human villages from the surroundings?"

"They know we're having a war. If they hadn't escaped it's because they're stupid or want to die."

Rhin choose that moment to open her eyes again and started to play with the fur on Kouga's armor over his shoulders.

Both men stared at the little child entertaining herself.

* * *

><p>Five years had passed since then.<p>

Sarah never fully recovered and died in her sleep. On the other hand, Rhin had managed to survive and move forward, despite having inherited none of her father's youkai powers. She was a very energetic, curious and intelligent girl.

However, the war continued and moments of peace like the one happened under the cherry tree could never repeat again.

Sesshomaru did everything he could in order to protect his lands and her daughter, just as his people. He was the Lord. It was his responsibility the safety of the pack.

Kouga started making deals and agreements with other packs and tribes in order to expand their territories. However, during one of the fights, a group rebelled to the two leaders and a human village, alongside itsFeudalPalace, was affected. That caused more and more problems.

Despite the humans being weaker than the youkais, they outnumbered them and since the palace that was attacked had been important, all the human leaders and landowners of the surrounding villages had united against the Clan of the North.

In one of those battles, several groups of warriors reunited and took captives to several members of one of the allied clans. No matter how hard they tried, Sesshomaru, Kouga and their group of warriors couldn't do anything to prevent that.

For the first time in millennia, Sesshomaru ordered the retreat of his troops. While the enemy didn't knew the location of the Palace, which was protected by the powers of the most powerful youkais of the place, they wouldn't need to worry for the pups and women of the clan, however, one day a traitor revealed himself.

One of those that had been captured, Onigumo, had given them the exact location of the palace in exchange to regain his freedom.

That's when everything shattered.

The surprise and massive attack caught the clan off guard and finally Sesshomaru and Kouga couldn't fulfill their roles as Lords of the land.

* * *

><p>"Lord Sesshomaru, they're attacking the palace! They've passed the defense lines, sir!"<p>

"General Kouga! They have taken prisoners to the elders of the tribe. They threaten to kill them if we don't surrender."

"Jaken!" Could be heard over the yells and alerts of the rest of the fighters that were in the place.

Little Jaken came running towards his Lord and, confused, received small Rhin who, besides looking scared, was unscratched.

"Take Rhin with you and go to a safe place. Go as far away as you can from the northern lands. Hide yourselves. Ah-Un will take you without any problem."

"But, Lord Sesshomaru! I can't leav-" Sesshomaru didn't say anything else and after giving her daughter a last look and caress her cheek and hair slightly, he took his sword and went out to fight.

"I'll look for you at the mountains in Ryukossei's Lands! Explain to him what has happened. Find Totousai and protect Rhin with your life," was his last command.

"Dad! Don't go!" Rhin attempted to pursue him but she was stopped by the small youkai, who barely reached the height of her nose but he was a youkai in the end, and a human child's strength was nothing to him.

"We must leave, Young Lady. This place isn't safe anymore." And just like that, Jaken carried the girl over his shoulder and started to run towards the stables where he mounted Ah-Un and quickly left the castle behind, ignoring the cries and pleas of Rhin to return alongside her father. Even if it was a hard thing for him to do.

Meanwhile, Kouga and Sesshomaru kept fighting, shoulder to shoulder. The enemy's army kept arriving; it was endless. From one moment to another, finally came the artillery.

"Well, Sesshomaru, look," Kouga looked exhausted, but that didn't prevent him from smirking. That mocking smile that characterized him. "The humans with those exported weapons have finally arrived. Do you think you can handle it?"

"It's nothing that Bakusaiga can't destroy." Sesshomaru narrowed his eyes. Beads of sweat fell from his forehead. He couldn't help but look one last time at the silhouette that was escaping through the sky. Even with his enhanced hearing, he could barely catch the cries of Rhin, who still begged Jaken to return.

The army went against the two warriors, the only ones left standing. And so, both fought with all the strength their warrior spirits could gather.

* * *

><p>"… That day we both died. Finally an elite group that called themselves the 'Shichinintai', better known as the Band of Seven Warriors, came to the place and one of them used attacks with gunpowder. The castle collapsed and everything we had once had reduced to nothing. Finally, they threw bombs that reached us."<p>

"Is that why during your anniversary you have so many injuries? I knew it had to be because of some kind of battle, but I never thought that it could have been so bad." Miroku was sitting in one of the room's beds. Inuyasha, leaning against the door frame, watched Kouga without saying a word.

"Yeah. Anyway, if I'm proud of something is to have died in battle and not as a prisoner. Our bodies weren't mutilated, but that explosion was the last we could handle. We were drained off our energy and we were so wounded because of the swords and bullets. Sesshomaru- well he wasn't in a better state than me. We both fell at the same time but truth be told I was the first one to die. Him, until the last moment kept clinging to life. We didn't know about the Slaves back then so we thought that it was the end. But when we woke up on that desolated battlefield, at the enemy's mercy, we realized our mistake."

Kouga walked and exited the room, signaling them to follow him. It was clear that his story hasn't ended yet.

"For so many years, Sesshomaru obeyed the orders only because the power of the shackle forced him to. A lot of times, thousands of times, we looked for a chance to escape. We managed to do so countless times but always something prevented us to reach to Ryukossei mountains. Or there was an ambush or our enhanced hearing detected an order that kept us from escaping the territory where we were captured… He could never reunite again with Rhin. A hundred years later, it was the first and the last time I saw him cry. It was also the only time I had ever seen him faint. That day was when everything collapsed for him. When he woke up he had turned into the person he is now."

Kouga couldn't help the pained look that crossed his eyes when he remembered the little girl who used to play with them, the small and innocent child that smiled at them when they returned from every battle, victorious, the same kid that swore every day that she would find a way to become a youkai like her father, a flower youkai who could always bring them the most beautiful flowers in the entire world.

"Rhin was a human. There was no way that she could have survived longer than that. She was his whole being and I'm sure that if he could have been able to stop time in a specific moment that would have been on that day, when he was sitting under the Sakura tree. Since his change he never allowed himself to trust anyone else, not since Onigumo's betrayal. If he didn't kill me was only because I was with him the entire time, since we were just a couple of pups training." Kouga interrupted himself when they entered the kitchen of the house.

It was old, but in perfect condition. Kouga opened the refrigerator and took a pitcher of lemonade from the interior – the one that Miroku had prepared for the girls when they entered the place, for once they finished playing – he served himself a glass; all that talking had dried his throat.

"I know that what he was in his past is still living inside of him. If that weren't true, he would be deranged today. Rhin's memory is the only thing that keeps him sane, but… well, it's not easy. I understand him but when the centuries passed I learned that even with a shell around you, it will still hurt, just like you said it, Inuyasha. I have the same thought. Sesshomaru hasn't lost his feelings, but he hides them, because he doesn't want to go through that pain again.

"I'm sure of that." Miroku served himself a glass of lemonade too and then he looked towards Inuyasha. "You won't let me lie, Inuyasha, but even if we don't speak a lot with Sesshomaru, tell me, in that era when the four of us met, did he even look at us one single time?"

And then Inuyasha remembered. When he became Slave and a couple of years later Tsubaki's father told him that she had died, he had sold him to a person who took him with Miroku. They both had spent a couple of centuries serving that family and their descendents and then, after another sell they had fallen on the hands of an owner who liked to collect Slaves.

That's when they had meet Sesshomaru and Kouga.

After a few months, Kouga had become in something like a friend – even if the past they only fought each other constantly – but Sesshomaru just acted as if they weren't even there. Since then, every time they changed owners the four of them remained together. They were excellent during battles.

It wasn't something he was proud of, but on his hands was the blood of a lot of people. In that era of constant wars they were forced to fight. Everything had been always the same, the four of them were unique, powerful, immortals and over all that, they couldn't betray their owner, lie or disobey their master if he just ordered it – and that had been a constant order all the time.

For his part, Inuyasha didn't trust in others and was arrogant. He didn't want to deal with anyone else. He knew that he would continue living no matter what happened, but the other people wouldn't do it. He had already suffered a lot before becoming a Slave so he didn't want to continue with that, yet sometimes he lowered his guard without noticing it.

But Sesshomaru never, ever, let down his guard and had remained stoic for centuries. Inuyasha didn't even know what he was thinking.

It wasn't until they had started to live with Kaede that Sesshomaru had began to change, finally opening himself a bit and talking with them once in a while, even giving them some advices, just like that one about being careful of Naraku or the one of walking slower than the others…

"Something definitely made him change," the half-demon finally spoke, trying to figure out exactly what time had Sesshomaru let down his guard that during those almost five hundred years had remained strong.

"I can almost for sure swear that it was Kaede. Do you remember when she became our owner?" asked Kouga, making Inuyasha snort at the thought.

"Her father was really an idiot. What kind of jerk gets her only child four slaves for her eighth birthday?"

"Well, you're right but you can't deny that that was the best that could have happened to us." Miroku smiled at the memory of his sweet former master.

"Well, at least until now…" Inuyasha couldn't help but mumble that, and then he looked away, ashamed and blushing when Miroku and Kouga began to giggle.

Truth was told, life with Kaede had been really healthy to all of them, who had lived centuries with so many malicious owners. But his actual life with Kagome… it was the glory and salvation itself. He sighed again and mentally smacked himself for his corny thoughts. Then he took a seat in one of the chairs of the dining room.

Kouga then continued with his tale.

"When Kaede received us we weren't slaves for her, we were her friends, the fathers and the example to follow that she had not received properly."

"What kind of examples we were…" Miroku smiled with guilt.

"Well, we all have our mistakes, Mr. Long-hand," joked Kouga.

"But for the record I never did anything to her."

"Just because as soon as she discovered that you had that kind of thoughts she ordered you to keep your hands out of her anywhere that weren't her head. And that was only because she liked it when you patted her. Anyway, stop interrupting me! I noticed Sesshomaru's change of behavior. Being able to see Kaede growing up was almost as if he were looking at Rhin."

"Was that why he was always taking care of her? I always thought that it had been some kind of order from Kaede. It isn't a secret that she had fallen in love with him when she turned fifteen." Miroku said.

"Hahaha, you're right about that one." Kouga smiled sorrowfully when he remembered how the poor girl had cried into his shoulder when she had received a refusal from Sesshomaru, who hadn't been harsh or rude to her at all, but that hadn't stopped the hurt in her heart. "Well, it also had a lot to do his refusal when she declared her love for him. Rhin was his daughter. Kaede was like his daughter. He could never see her as something different than that. But I think that precisely for him seeing her as a daughter was that he began to be a bit more like his old self."

"Yeah, maybe it was that." Inuyasha agreed.

The trio remained silent for a few moments, lost in their own thoughts. A few seconds later they heard laugh and yells from the girls outside the house.

"Kagome, that's not fair!"

"No-one told me there were rules!" they heard the raven haired girl exclaim.

"Oh, Inuyasha, let's go, it seems like your loved one is in danger," mocked Miroku, making the hanyou get angry.

"Shut up, Miroku!" but he still went out of the house, followed by Kouga and Miroku.

When they got out, they noticed Kagome stumbling and falling into the arms of a strange subject. That only made Inuyasha's blood boil. Who the hell was that guy who dared to touch HIS Kagome?

"Hojou?"

"Higurashi? Dear God, how long has it been! You look very good, Higurashi, how have you been?" Hojou was wearing a pair of marine shorts and a sleeveless shirt. His messy hair fell everywhere up to the height of half face.

"I had been very well, actually. What about you? I haven't heard from you since elementary school."

"It's been three years, right? Have you already finished high school?"

"Yeah, actually we've just finished exams. I'm still waiting for the results. Maybe I won't get the grades required to graduate."

"Don't say foolish things, Higurashi, you'll see that it'll all end for good."

"Yeah, thank you very much."

Finally after that trivial conversation, Sango got near the couple and made a noise with her throat, making Kagome jump.

"Sango, you scared me!"

"Hi there, strange boy," spoke Sango, with a smile over her face. "I'm Sango, Kagome's best friend and if you excuse me, I must kill her for destroying our beautiful sand castle."

"Oh, but please. There must be some other way to pay that outrageous debt." Hojou played along and that made Sango smile and Kagome felt frustrated. She didn't hate Hojou or anything like that, but this was her vacation and having him there, following Sango's game hasn't been so funny to her.

"Well, maybe if she pays for the food we'll forgive her."

"There's plenty of food in the house, Sango. I don't intend to buy anymore."

"Kagome, what's going on here?" Inuyasha approached and watched, unable to hide his anger.

Kagura, Kanna, Shippo, Kikyo and Ayame had kept aside, standing next to Kouga and Miroku. Sesshomaru observed them from the rocks, attentive to what was happening.

"I see that you have made a lot of friends, Higurashi. You see? I told you it was possible." At that phrase Kagome made a weird grin. He then extended his hand towards Inuyasha. "My name is Hojou, Akitoki Hojou, please to meet you. And you are?"

Inuyasha observed him, clearly suspicious, and then burst out a "Keh!" folding his arms.

"Inuyasha don't be rude." Oh, damn it with that girl!

"My name is Inuyasha." He spoke, narrowing his eyes and without being able to help look at Kagome with reproach.

"Oh, you're a Slave." Hojou said when he noticed the shackle around the hanyou's neck.

"Is there a problem if he's one?" This time it was Kikyo who had spoken, approaching. It was clearly notorious that at any moment Inuyasha would crack out at the slightest provocation.

"No, nothing. It's just that I never thought that Higurashi would be the kind of person who gets along with people who have Slaves."

"Kagome is my owner" Was the half-demon response, and Hojou's eyes widened in surprise.

"Higurashi? You? The owner of a Slave?"

She looked the ground between them for a few moments and then directed her gaze again towards Hojou. This situation was, curiously, very tense.

"They're actually two. The little red head over there is also mine. But I don't consider them Slaves. They're a part of my family.

"Oh, I see…"

An uncomfortable silence flooded the place. No one knew what to say, but after a few moments Inuyasha's stomach grumbled causing laughs among the present ones.

"Well, I think it's time to get inside the cottage and make something for dinner, see you later, Hojou." Kagome spoke, pulling Inuyasha's sleeve. He offered no resistance. That guy had to learn who Kagome was with.

_'… Even if, well, we don't have any relationship but… Oh stop it! I'll protect her from fools like him and that's it.'_

"Ah, wait Hig-" Hojou tried to follow them, but Miroku stood in front of the guy, while Kouga distracted the girls and took her inside the house.

"I don't want to seem rude, but we just came to this place and would like to have a holiday without any problems. As you can see we're a lot of people inside the cottage and we would like to spend some time only us, you understand me, right?"

Hojou looked at him with a slight frown, as if he were suspicious and confused.

"Since when has Higurashi gotten so many friends?" he spoke, surprising Miroku. His attitude was now very different to the one he had when he had said he was happy for Kagome for having friends. "How can I know that you won't do anything to harm her?"

"If may I say, Akitoki, you haven't been in her life, if I understood correctly, over the last three years. I think that you have no right to complain about her decisions, do you?"

After that, Miroku turned around and went towards the house. Kikyo was standing next to the house and, just as she had thought would happen, saw Hojou following Miroku so she approached the boy and stopped him in the middle of his tracks.

"Hojou, right?"

"What do you need, miss…?"

"Kikyo, I'm Kagome's cousin."

"Kikyo…" Hojou then recognized her. "You're that girl that in the elementary school always stopped to insult us or make fun of us. What are you up to against Higurashi this time?"

Kikyo smiled softly, she hadn't been wrong after all.

"I just wanted to tell you that I don't want you to keep being over protector with her, she knows to take care even from me. Even if now it's not necessary for her to take care from me or anything but…" Kikyo trailed off and then looked Hojou directly in his eyes. "I don't know what Miroku told you, but I think that the best you can do is leave, all right?"

"Can you tell to Higurashi that I would like to come and see her once in a while? If she has nothing to do tomorrow-"

"You're still being the same selfish boy you always used to be." Kikyo looked at him coldly. "We just arrived to this place and want to spend the time only with the family and closest friends. You can come in a few weeks if you want, but please let Kagome enjoy her time with us. She's not a doll that needs your care."

"Someone has to protect her, you don't know ho-"

"Oh, of course she has someone who protects her. Didn't you see it a moment ago? Inuyasha is always there for her."

And after that, Kikyo entered the cottage.

Hojou made a new attempt to follow them but Sesshomaru, who was still outside, stood quietly in front of him and then looked towards the house, from were they could hear some laughter and chatting.

"I recommend you to leave things as they are right now."

Finally, Hojou took a couple of steps back and turned around but a second later he stopped and looked towards Sesshomaru, then towards the cottage windows, from where he could distinguish Inuyasha's silhouette.

"Tell Higurashi that I live as always, she's welcome whenever she want!" and after saying those words, he finally left.

* * *

><p>"Let me go to give him what he-!"<p>

"Inuyasha, for all the sacred things, calm down!"

"Damn it, Miroku, didn't you understand that invitation? That guy is trying to keep us apart from Kagome!"

"Don't be exaggerated Inuyasha, he just wanted to chat with us for a while. Actually, you were the ones being rude with him."

Silence filled the place again and everyone looked at Kagome, who was calmly making dinner.

"Hojou was my only friend in the elementary school, and since people use to pull pranks on me he defended me. That's all. He's like a big brother to me, and he used to protect me a lot."

"Oh, how romantic!" Ayame squealed, making that a lot of reactions appeared in everyone's faces. From fury from Inuyasha to doubt from Shippo. "It's just like in books, Kagome! The old friend from your childhood that for the paths of life had got away from you has finally returned magically to be by your side."

"God, no, Ayame!" yelled Sango, then she discretely looked to Kagome and Inuyasha. Kikyo had imitated her gesture. "Kagome is not available for those kinds of fantasies."

"Oh, but Ayame isn't entirely wrong!" It was Kagura's turn to get in the conversation and then they were discussing about if it was convenient for Kagome to go out with Hojou. That just altered the poor hanyou.

"Stop it!" exclaimed finally the raven haired girl, facing them all. "Whatever I do or not with my love life doesn't have to matter to any of you!"

"Of course it matters to me!" jumped out Inuyasha, but then his expression looked terrified.

"Why would it have to matter to you, Inuyasha?" Asked Kagome, curious, and then Inuyasha began to sweat cold.

"Well, because I…" Inuyasha started to hyperventilate and looked around. He would say it… He would say it! God, please not there, please not there! Not in front of everyone. What kind of moment was that? His eyes met with Kikyo's for a moment and then he looked again towards Kagome. "Because I- I lo-!"

"Because Inuyasha would need to know what to tell to your mother if something happens." Kikyo interrupted, standing from her chair. "And I think that Kagome's food will be perfect if you collect a couple of oysters, Inuyasha. Go to the beach and get ones. Even some fish would be great, go Inuyasha."

And not needing to being told twice, Inuyasha ran from the room and outside the cottage.

The message was clearly understood to the ones who knew about the half-demon feelings and to Kagome and the other girls that moment went forgotten rather quickly.

* * *

><p>That night, after everyone had walked around the house and discovered that it wasn't small at all, gave rooms to everyone and unpacked their things, Inuyasha was sitting on the same rocks Sesshomaru had been thinking on earlier that day.<p>

"Thanks for what you did earlier, Kikyo." Said the young hanyou, noticing the presence of the girl, who was approaching at that moment wrapped in a blanket because of the cool temperature.

"It was nothing." Kikyo kept walking until she got to the edge of the sea and began to touch the water that came and went because of the waves.

Inuyasha stared at her for a few seconds and then he observed the cottage. He could see Kagome's silhouette wandering around her room, surely she was still unpacking her belongings.

"You really care for her, don't you?" Asked Kikyo, noticing how Inuyasha couldn't stop watching the shadow of Kagome projected from her window. A smiled formed on her lips when she saw the hanyou's soft blush.

"I love her." He whispered softly. Then, he looked towards Kikyo again. "And I must say that it hasn't been nice to be forced to acknowledge my own feelings."

"I'm sorry about that." Kikyo smiled guiltily, because she knew that it was because of that old order that Inuyasha had found out what he felt for Kagome. It hadn't been a good way to find out.

"It's weird, you know?" spoke the hanyou, after a moment of silence. "How things have been going on… and after all I had to live I had never felt this way before. I wish- I really wish that everything happened in a normal way. Even if… I'm not normal at all."

"Of course you're normal, Inuyasha." Kikyo stood up and approached the half-demon, giving him the blanket and starting to walk to the house again. "Believe when I say that you're even more normal than 'Bobou'."

Inuyasha couldn't help the laugh that escaped from his throat when he heard the nickname of the guy who had appeared that afternoon.

"Thanks, Kikyo," he finally said and continued staring towards the sea. A moment later, he heard an exclamation from Kagome.

"Kikyo, where did you leave my favorite blanket?"

"Inuyasha has it!" was Kikyo's answer.

He gulped and looked the fabric in his arms. At first sight he hadn't recognized it but now that he was studying it he realized that it was indeed Kagome's favorite blanket, the one that wasn't so thin but not so thick.

A couple of seconds later, he heard Kagome's steps over the sand.

"May I know what you are doing with my blanket in this place? at this hour of the night?" she said annoyed while taking back the object from Inuyasha. "I swear it, Inuyasha you've been acting really weird the entire day."

"Well I- I had it here because Kikyo gave it to me."

"And why would Kikyo give you my blanket?"

"She just got out of the house, walked to the edge of the sea, played for a moment with the water and then, before returning inside the house, she gave it to me. That's it." Oh dear lord, another interrogation? He was tired of that!

"But why did she give it to you?" She asked again, confused. Inuyasha sighed irritably. He watched the sea, the waves breaking against the coast and over the sand, the moon reflected on the water surface, the stars shining with splendor… maybe…

"Maybe… she just wanted you to see this landscape."

"…maybe."

Inuyasha observed Kagome and smiled softly when he saw her so relaxed, contemplating the sea.

"Come here, sit down or you'll get tired," he said, moving aside and inviting the girl to sit next to him.

Kagome didn't think about it twice.

They were both observing the place, with a calm atmosphere, sitting next to each other. When time began to pass and the salty air began to feel cooler, the young girl covered both of them with the blanket – despite Inuyasha's claims that he wasn't cold.

As the night advanced, Kagome ended laying her head on Inuyasha's left shoulder and he was holding her, with his left arm over her shoulder.

After all, this first day hadn't gone so bad.

"Let's see when he will thank me again," whispered Kikyo playfully, standing beside Sango as they watched the young couple from one of the windows of the second floor.


	13. My feelings

**_Author notes: _**_I'm sorry for the delay with this chapter. This whole last week I've been desperately looking for a job D'= and it's not easy, and I really need one. Also I'm working on an original novel for a contest and all plus taking care of my brothers and all that, it barely gives me time to do what I want ;_; I'm sorry, but here it is, I hope you enjoy it ^^. _

_This chapter is… kind of complicated, but I think I managed to make it understandable, also I added POV's in this one, so you'll have two narrators this time, the normal narrator and Inuyasha's narration. Since when I wrote the original chapter in Spanish I didn't manage to get rid of that emotion of hate towards Hojou I had serious problems writing the continuation but then I thought: 'Hey! I can be Inuyasha, Inuyasha hates him ^^U' And so this chapter was born hahahaha anyway, I hope you like it, please, please let me know what do you think about this chapter in your reviews ^^ Thank for your messages, the alerts, favorites and reads =D_

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><p><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: Besides the plot line, I don't own anything. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Yomiuri TV Corporation. I'm not getting any profit from this story; this was just made for fun.

**Note: **For the one's who doesn't know what a POV is, is the abbreviator of Point of View ^^

**Warning**: Maybe there is bad language? I'm not so sure what you consider bad language... ^^U

**Thanks to**: Thanks to my beta reader, PandaStarz, for her wonderful work on this chapter.

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><p><strong>Slavery.<strong>

**Author: **MikoAucarod

Chapter 13: My feelings.

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><p><strong><em>.-.-.-.-. Inuyasha's POV .-.-.-.-.<em>**

The only feeling that I had at that moment was frustration. And well, anyone in my situation would have felt the same way.

That guy is nice, I must admit it, – damn this shackle that won't let me lie! – But I just can't stand him. It's just that simple.

Despite that Kikyo told him to stop coming by and over-protect Kagome - and allow her to spend time with us – Hojou came to visit her almost every day during that week. And the few days he hadn't come were only because of some accidents, in which of course I had nothing to do with. For example, that block at the road way that lead to the town near the beach; it wasn't my fault that the rock which I had been using to train fell onto the road, preventing the people and drivers from crossing.

It hadn't been my fault either that the honeycomb of bees had been in a bad mood… well, yeah, that one was my fault, but it hadn't been my fault that Hojou had decided to walk near that area just when I finished hitting the honeycomb.

Ok, maybe I was partly responsible for that one, but shouldn't he have given up after all that?

Definitely, I hate him. It's just that simple. And what I hate the most is that he doesn't treat anybody badly. He soon gained the trust of everyone else, except Kikyo's who he still acted defensive with.

And to make matters worse, Kagome finally accepted Hojou's invitation to go to town and have some time for just the two of them. I wasn't able to do anything, and now I'm at home, not able to follow them because she ordered me not to…

"This is so frustrating!"

"Inuyasha, I'm not comfortable with any of this either, but what can we do? Kagome is the one who decided." I heard Kikyo talking to me, we're both doing the laundry. It's our turn to do so— no, it isn't, it was Kagome's turn but that little-

"I can't stand that guy!" I'm angry, I'm frustrated, disappointed, I feel betrayed, and all other bad verbs that end with '-ed'.

"Not only because you hate him must Kagome do the same. What happened with 'Grudges kill your soul', Inuyasha?"

"I don't have grudges against him. I just hate him, that's different." And then I remembered something. "If we have that idea, then shouldn't that guy's soul be completely destroyed by now? He's been acting defensively toward you all the time."

"Well…" Kikyo blushed guiltily, and I knew that I wasn't wrong. Hojou held grudges against Kikyo. "If you put it that way…"

"Weren't you living in another country or something like that? That's why you never knew about your bonds with the Higurashi, don't you?"

"You're right. It wasn't until I entered the fifth grade of the elementary school that we returned toJapan. It's not an excuse, but I had been living with Naraku for over a year and a half. The only things I knew at that time was pain and humiliation, when before that I had it all, money – I know now that that's not really important – love, a family, friends… I couldn't stand seeing other people being happy. Kagome was that kind of person…"

Hold on a second… when did we start talking about Kagome?

"She always did things the way she wanted. For example, if the dresses with square patterns were 'in', if she had a striped dress that she liked she would wear it, not caring if other people made fun of her— if I made fun of her," she corrected.

"Then why do you say that she has a tendency to think so low of herself?" I couldn't help but ask. The Kagome I heard about closely resembled the one I always talk about. Despite everything we had to live through, I have never seen her think low of herself.

"Hojou." That simple word was enough to make my blood boil. I must have made some sort of facial expression because Kikyo paled. "Calm down, Inuyasha. He didn't do anything with malicious intent. At least not that I remember. It's just that he's that way. It neither helped them much that I was always making fun of them."

"And if she knows that that kid is still being the same as before, why the hell did she go out with him?"

"I think she hopes that, as you and I did, he may have changed. Despite all, Inuyasha, it wasn't a lie that Hojou was her only friend in the elementary school.

Somehow we began talking about Kagome again and Kikyo started to tell me what she knew about her past.

* * *

><p><strong><em>.-.-.-.-. Normal POV .-.-.-.-.<em>**

Kikyo was running, she had a discussion with Naraku that morning and she hadn't been able to stand the humiliation anymore. She ran without stopping or caring where she was going. The tears in her eyes were falling down mercilessly. A small eleven-year-old girl wasn't supposed to suffer that way. She didn't deserve to be treated as if she were a 'nobody'.

She kept running until she entered a park and then sat down on one of the swings. After some time she managed to calm down and then she heard steps approaching.

She looked at herself and saw how messy she was so she quickly hid behind some bushes. She didn't want to be found so disheveled and be teased for that.

It was then that she saw them. Kagome and Hojou, both eleven-year-old kids, were walking around the park, quietly. They hadn't noticed her.

"We should have tried to ask them if we could play with them, Hojou, they seemed like nice kids."

"They're going to treat us bad, Higurashi, it's always the same at school, isn't it?"

"But it has to be the same outside the school?"

"Higurashi, we're different than them." Hojou didn't look angry, he was only trying to convince her. "I've already told you, we just have each other, no one else is going to want to be our friend, never. They won't even do anything other than make fun of us.

Kagome lowered her gaze, disappointed.

"I don't understand. I've never treated them bad… why do they do that to me?"

"Because we're not worth anything to them. They'll never take any interest in us."

Kikyo was hearing both kids, who were now sitting in the same swings she had been a couple of minutes ago.

"My daddy says to me that I'm a very good and happy girl, he told me that I should never worry about making friends. That people would come to me almost immediately. He said that I wouldn't have trouble finding friends… Tell me, did he lie to me?" The little girl asked, with tears in her eyes.

"No, Higurashi, it's just that your father didn't know that people are foolish and cruel, that's all."

Both kids stayed in silence lost in their thoughts and Kikyo took that chance to get away from the place.

* * *

><p>They were now in their last year in the elementary school. It was break time and, as always, Kagome and Hojou were sitting away from everyone in the school's ground, as far away as possible from the people. Despite that, Kikyo and her friends wouldn't miss the chance to make fun of them.<p>

"Well, well… Look who's here. 'Bobou' and 'The Bug'. You look so cute together."

"Shut up, Kikyo." Hojou spat, standing up in front of Kagome. She only lowered her gaze and he was blushing because of anger and embarrassment. They were now twelve years old and thinks hadn't changed a bit.

"Ohh, look Kikyo, the little tiny bug wants to cry, she wants to cry." One of Kikyo's friends mocked, making Kagome hide her face even more. "Yes! She wants to cry!"

"That's the only thing she's good at" was another girl's comment.

"Let's go, Higurashi." Hojou took Kagome's arm and helped her to stand up, not paying any more attention to the teasing from the other girls. Kikyo managed to listen part of their conversation while they moved away.

"Tell them to apol-"

"They won't do it, Higurashi," he interrupted her, without releasing his grip on her arm.

"Then tell the teacher that-"

"That won't work either. We're not worth it."

And both kids disappeared behind one of the buildings of the school.

* * *

><p><strong><em>.-.-.-.-. Inuyasha's POV .-.-.-.-.<em>**

I just managed to stare at Kikyo, completely shocked. That brat – now for my eyes he wasn't a boy or a stupid kid, he was now a brat – had dared to… Had dared to-!

"Why the hell was he trying to make Kagome feel bad all the time? And she knew it! Why the hell did she allow him to be near her?"

"'Grudges kill the soul'," Kikyo quoted that to me, with a soft smile in her face. "As I said, Hojou is that way by nature. From what I know he's always been like that, since he was a very small kid. For some reason he had no friends, not even in kindergarten, at least that's what my friends used to tell me. That's why I believe that when he met Kagome and she extended her hand towards him he took it, but he wasn't able to go out to the outside world and neither did he want to lose her. So he dragged her down with him."

That was more than I could bear and I threw my fist against the wall, cracking it. I was furious. And I felt so powerless! Who knew what things could Kagome be enduring at this very moment and I wasn't able to help her or even be with them to turn that bastard's face into-

"Inuyasha, Hojou isn't a bad guy. It's just that he doesn't know about another lifestyle. Besides he suffered a great shock when my uncle was turned into a Slave-" Oh great, now I would find out more things about Kagome's father? "Hey! Don't look at me like that! Have it your way, I won't tell you anything else. Stay here with your absurd anger."

And just like that, Kikyo left the room, leaving me behind angrier than ever. I had to accept it, I was angry with me and with that fool one…

* * *

><p>Since that stupid 'date' that Kag had with <em>Bobou<em> I realized that things weren't going so well. She seemed to be depressed all the time. And I couldn't stand seeing her that way.

I reached my limit one day, when we were all at the beach. We were playing Volleyball. Sango, Miroku, Kikyo, Kagome and me, against Sesshomaru, Kagura, Kouga and Ayame – since both Sesshomaru and Kouga were youkais we had more people in our team. Kanna and Shippo were the referees.

Everything was going well, until a punch from Kouga made the ball go and hit Kagome. It hadn't been anything serious, Kagome was even laughing while lying there in the sand.

But that fool had decided to appear at that very exact moment and was scandalized, yelling at us – he was so exaggerated! He demanded to know what had been going through our heads for laughing at her, why we were treating her like that and a bunch of other nonsense that I didn't hear.

I just remember my hands holding the neck of his shirt, anger growing in me. His face was twisted with fear and he was trying to free himself from my grip. His feet left the floor and I could hear screams from Kagome, telling me to release him.

I didn't obey her.

The stone began to shine but I didn't pay attention, I wasn't even capable of feeling any pain. All I was concentrated was in my anger and the despair that I felt for knowing that the insect in my hands was guilty for the miserable past that Kagome had had and he was also the cause for her depression in these last few days.

Then my mind went black and I lost conscious.

* * *

><p><strong><em>.-.-.-.-. Normal POV .-.-.-.-.<em>**

Inuyasha was lying in his bed, next to Kagome's, with a cloth wet on his forehead. Miroku had again made a series of small spells to help stabilize him. Overcome with rage, the hanyou hadn't felt the agonizing pain that the stone caused when he ignored an order. But that didn't mean that his body was immune.

The pain had been so much that his body had sent him into an almost comatose state.

Kagome was sitting on the edge of the bed, her face tear-stained, waiting for the half-demon to wake up. She hadn't moved from her position in the four hours that he had been unconscious.

* * *

><p>"What you did was a tremendously stupid." Everyone lifted their heads when they heard Hojou speak. They were in the dinning room, waiting for news from Inuyasha. That comment left them surprised.<p>

"Excuse me?" Kouga couldn't give credit to his ears. It was obvious that that comment had been for him, since Hojou was looking at him clearly annoyed.

Hojou snorted and looked towards the stairs leading to the second floor, where he knew Kagome was. If it up to him, he would have gone up there and been with her, if it were by him he would have taken her away from this place as soon as he knew she had returned. But no one allowed him to do so.

"If you hadn't hit her with the ball, then she wouldn't be sad right now, she wouldn't have cried!"

"You big jerk!"

Kikyo hit the table with her palms at the same time that Sango stood up. Ayame, Kagura and Miroku were trying to stop Kouga, who was ready to go and punch Hojou with all his strength. Kanna and Shippo were hiding behind Sesshomaru's legs, clearly affected by the gloomy atmosphere that surrounded the place. Sesshomaru didn't move from his place, only to maintain support for the kids.

"That's enough!" Kikyo approached Hojou and started to poke him in his chest, marking every word she said. "Everything was perfectly fine until you decided to appear again in her life. Kagome has been depressed these last few days, and guess what? It started that stupid day she went out with you. I don't know what's going on in your head, but I won't allow you to drag Kagome back to those times when everyone around her was scum and miserable people. We were just playing volleyball! Everyone had already got hit by the stupid ball, its part of the game! Or what? Are you going to tell me that never in your life have you played volleyball with someone else?"

When Hojou lowered his gaze, blushing, she knew she had hit the nail.

"I have no idea, and I'm not interested in knowing why you're like this, but if Kagome was capable of getting over all those horrible things that you said- yes, that you said, Hojou! Don't you dare to deny it," she remarked when she noticed the young boy had opened his mouth to argue. "If she could get over yourself, you should be able to do it too."

"She is MY friend!"

"She's also ours!" exclaimed Sango, standing next to Kikyo. "We care a lot about what happens to her, and for respect to that friendship you're calling so much we allowed you to be with her, we allowed you to interrupt our vacations, we even allowed you in here. You treated us so well, what the hell happened?"

"She didn't stop talking about all of you!" he shouted, closing his fists and his eyes, with clear resentment.

Everyone stared at him, waiting for an explanation. But then Kagome chose that moment to appear at the top of the stairs.

"Could you please stop screaming? Inuyasha has sensitive ears and he can hear all of this, you're making him feel uncomfortable." And with that said she disappeared again into the room she and Inuyasha shared.

There was a silence only broken, a few moments later, by Hojou's hurt sigh.

"You see it now?" his tone was lower. He could never be able to say no to Kagome. "She didn't care what the reason of our yells was. She didn't know if I was all right or not. She doesn't care for me."

"You're a depressed maniac," spoke Sesshomaru from his corner, causing surprise in everyone. "Have you happened to think about what's going on upstairs? You saw it with your own eyes. Inuyasha is in a very delicate state, caused by both Kagome and you. The least thing that you can do is to offer an apology to her for having forced her to make an order that led to one of her dearest friends to the verge of dementia – because, truth is, this stupid shackle doesn't allow us to die. You only suffered a couple of scratches from when Inuyasha took you from your clothes. He could have done something worse to you before Kagome had time to react. But he contained himself, for Kagome. And you don't care about any of that; all you can think of is you and your misfortune. Don't be an idiot and get over it. And if you're not able to do so, then don't you dare to bring down the people who learned how to appreciate life and were able to move forward."

Sesshomaru took Shippo and Kanna in his arms. They looked like they would begin to cry at any moment. That's why he exited the cottage, immediately followed by Kagura.

No one knew what to say after Sesshomaru's monologue. It was almost unnatural. Sesshomaru had spoken over four sentences together.

* * *

><p>Kagome returned to the room where Inuyasha remained unconscious, but he was visibly more relaxed. It seemed as if he were only taking an afternoon nap.<p>

As soon as the shouting began, she had tensed. She didn't want them to treat Hojou badly, she could understand him but wasn't fool enough to go back to who she was years ago but neither was she capable of leaving Inuyasha and going to help Hojou. The reason why she was depressed was because of the knowledge that her only childhood friend hadn't been able to move forward.

He had to learn to fight his own battles, without her. That's why she had decided to not interfere, but when she noticed that Inuyasha began to complain in his unconsciousness and to move his ears, she knew that this wasn't easy for him.

That's why she had asked for silence.

Taking again her place beside the hanyou, she spent her time watching him intently. He looked so calm and fragile at that moment that it was almost impossible to imagine that he had survived alone all those years of his childhood and before he was turned into a Slave.

And that's when reality hit her. Inuyasha had suffered so much in such so many ways. He had been completely alone for lots of years. He was a Slave and had gone through so many owners, some of them truly evil…

While Hojou was just someone with problems of social adjustment and low self-esteem. Nothing else. It was nothing that couldn't be fixed if he allowed himself to be helped.

Inuyasha hated Hojou because a tiny part of him, – deep, deep, deep inside of him, - he identified himself with the boy and he couldn't stand to see that part of him in someone so weak. It was like seeing himself in a deplorable state.

"… you're so complicated, Inuyasha." She smiled softly, understanding a little better the reactions of the hanyou towards Hojou.

Kagome stretched her right hand and removed the wet cloth, cooling it in the bucket that she had at the floor beside her. The fever had fallen considerably, but she still needed to take care of him. While she let the towel to soak and cool off, she began to move his fringe, marveling at the image in front of her.

This wasn't the first time she saw Inuyasha unconscious. She already had experience with his death anniversaries, but at those moments he always seemed to be bracing life, fighting. His expression was always determined to not give up. But now he just seemed to surrender and give in to that dream, from which she didn't know when he would wake up.

Kagome began to fear the worst. What if Inuyasha never woke up again?

When she had told him to release Hojou, she hadn't expected this to happen. What if she could never see those golden eyes again? What if she never heard that 'Keh!' again that she hated so much, but at the same time was so fun to hear? What if she could never have him accompanying her again…? What if she could never see Inuyasha again?

She felt her heart burn. She couldn't- she couldn't see herself living without Inuyasha. She wasn't capable of returning to a life without him.

Inuyasha meant everything to her.

Kagome blushed strongly at her own thoughts. She couldn't believe what was going on through her heart and mind at those moments. It was impossible…

It couldn't be…

* * *

><p>Hojou took a seat at the stairs and watched his feet, as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. Since Sesshomaru had left no one had said a word.<p>

"I don't want to be the bad guy in the story," he finally said, after a sigh. "I didn't want this to happen, I just…" The boy lifted up his gaze, a couple of tears were trailing down his face. "I just want my friend back. When we got out to the town she couldn't stop talking about how good you were with her. She was amazed. She kept talking about Inuyasha, Shippo and how they were now a part of her. All I could hear were Sango, Miroku, Kagura, Kanna, Sesshomaru, Kouga, Ayame, Kikyo…" Hojou looked the black haired girl who was still standing in front of him with closed fists. "When Kagome started talking about you I couldn't believe it. How was it possible that the same Kikyo that had been so evil with us at the school turned out to be her cousin? How was it possible that you could be friends? When I asked her if she was sure that she hadn't dreamed all that, she sent me a look so full of compassion. As if she had understood something…"

Hojou looked at his hands and began to remember those times.

"After her father became a Slave and when she and her mother moved out of the cottage… I was left completely alone. In the end everyone turned their backs at me, and there were even some people who said to me that Kagome had finally left because she had gotten tired of my presence…"

Sango and Kikyo stared each other, and then everyone looked at Hojou. Even Kouga had stopped growling and any attempts to hit him had vanished at the moment.

"I couldn't move forward. I didn't knew anything about Kagome's father, or her, or her mother… not even a phone number or some place to communicate, to see her, at least for once. I wanted to make sure that she was all right. It despaired me – the thought of her being teased in the same way or worst than me and I wasn't there to protect her… this three years had been a complete agony."

Hojou looked at them again, with reproach.

"And now that I have seen her again, is just to found out that you took her away from me. There's nothing left of the Kagome that was my friend."

"Hojou." Kikyo kneeled to be at his eye level and stared at him rudely. "Just for a couple of seconds would you like to stop thinking about you and realize how selfish are you sounding? The Kagome I've learned to know this last months is very active, smiles all the time, is sweet and kind with everyone and always looks to be a support for you at any moment. If that's not the Kagome that you considered your friend then who's that? The depressed one that only stared at the floor when someone insulted her? The one that allowed you to take her wherever you wanted without saying anything? The one who obeyed you in everything you said? That wasn't a friendship. She was your own slave."

"No! She was my friend!" Hojou didn't scream, but his tone of voice made it clear that he had no intentions to back of his position.

"Those aren't friendships, Hojou. True friends accept each other for who they are. Without doubts. And even if it's necessary to change it's only looking for something better, to be a better person. Tell me, will not trust again in the world bring any good to Kagome?"

"No one will be able to hurt h-"

"She won't have a life." Was the interruption of Sango. "And I think that it's time for you to look for one too. After what happened this afternoon I don't think it's convenient for you to come back here. At least not until Inuyasha recovers and that both he and Kagome allow each other to see you."

"What does Inuyasha have to do with this? I have every right to come and see Kagome whenever I want."

"Not if you'll only cause her pain." Kikyo had a calm expression and was speaking calmly and with authority but inside she felt explode in anger towards that kid who didn't want to listen to reason. "After what happened today, believe me when I say that you've hurt her much more than Kouga could have with that ball. You hurt her even more than I could have hurt her when we were just kids." Hojou couldn't understand those words and looked at her, confused. "Because of your presence, Inuyasha lost control. If you hadn't acted so selfishly and like her protector, he wouldn't have exploded. He had been repressing his emotions for some time now for the good of Kagome. He believed that if he did that she would be happy to have her childhood friend back. He let her live her life the way she wants it to be. That's what friends do. He allowed her to be whoever she wanted and didn't ask anything in exchange even though he has given so much for her."

Kikyo was speaking with such determination that Hojou wasn't able to counter any of her arguments.

"Since you came here you tried to change her back and at the end all you managed was to make her hurt, without wanting to, her best friend. She hurt a very important person for her and that damaged her in ways you can't understand, Hojou."

The boy stared at the floor again and without being able to help it a few tears more escaped from his eyes.

"She swore that I would be her only friend… I was her best friend."

"You didn't know how to maintain that friendship, Hojou. And forgive me for telling you this, but she didn't know better. You didn't allow it. Nobody is preventing you from being her friend now, but you must understand, Hojou, that with that attitude of yours you will go nowhere. If I was able to change, if Kagome was able to change, so can you."

He nodded slowly, thinking about what Kikyo had said. It was cruel, but she was right.

"When do you think that I can see her? Would it be all right if I go upstairs now and apologize?"

"I don't think that's for the best, Hojou," spoke Miroku, approaching the girls. "I think that the best now is to wait for Inuyasha to wake up. Once he recovers we will talk with them and then it'll depend on Miss Kagome if she wants to see you or doesn't."

Hojou nodded again and, not having anything else to say, he left the house, followed by Kikyo.

Outside, they could see that Kanna and Shippo were playing with the sand, near the coast, being watched by Sesshomaru and Kagura. The taiyoukai, feeling his stare, looked at them. Hojou bowed for a moment, as an apology towards him and then started to walk away from the house.

Kikyo observed him stopping and then looking at her for a moment. Her gaze turned curious.

"Do you honestly think that Inuyasha will recover?" He sounded concerned and Kikyo opened her eyes because of the surprise. Then she closed them and smiled softly.

"We hope so."

With a last nod, Hojou left the place

* * *

><p>Why couldn't it be?<p>

Kagome stared Inuyasha's face again and her blush was stronger. Then her gaze got a tender look when she accepted what her mind and heart were crying loudly.

Finally, the girl placed the wet cloth over Inuyasha's forehead again, who sighed softly as a sign of relief when his skin came into contact with the cool fabric. Kagome smiled tenderly.

"Forgive me, Inuyasha for putting you being in this situation." A slight tweak from his left ear let her know that he had listened to her and her smile widened.

Kagome closed her eyes and lay down beside him, taking one of his hands between hers. She gave into sleep, feeling safe and protected.

She loved him. She loved Inuyasha.

… Good Lord. Now how would she be able to look at him to his face?


	14. Awakening

**Author notes:**Here's chapter 14, I'm sorry for the last cliffhanger ^^U but I'm sure you'll be happy with this one ;D thanks for your readings, alerts and reviews ^^

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><p><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: Besides the plot line, I don't own anything. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Yomiuri TV Corporation. I'm not getting any profit from this story; this was just made for fun.

**Warning**: Maybe there is bad language? I'm not so sure what you consider bad language... ^^U

**Thanks to**: Thanks to my beta reader, PandaStarz, for her wonderful work on this chapter.

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><p><strong>Slavery.<br>Author: **MikoAucarod

Chapter 14: Awakening.

* * *

><p>"Well, this was fun Higurashi but I think that I should leave now."<p>

"Wait Hojou, aren't you going to stay for dinner?"

"Don't you think that'll bother your friends?"

"Who cares, Hojou? Stay, you're my guest."

Inuyasha watched the scene in front of him with disbelief. Kagome was walking from one side to another in the kitchen, tending Hojou and being gentle with him. And she was completely ignoring the hanyou standing at the door.

What had he done? He couldn't remember having been bad with her since his awakening.

"The noodles are OK? Or does it need anything?"

"It's perfect like this, Higurashi, thank you very much."

No one could see that he was right there, watching her, listening to her, noticing how she was acting? It looked like… like she was flirting with Hojou.

"Kagome, oi…" Inuyasha approached the girl but she turned her back to him and kept chatting with Hojou. Both of them were ignoring him.

_'What's happening?'_

Inuyasha felt awful when he saw Kagome take Hojou's hands and the shy smile of that boy. Was he a fool or something?

"I feel bad, Higurashi. You're spending all this time with me and I-"

"Don't say anything, Hojou, it's all right. I'm the one who wants to spend these moments with you."

"But, what about your friends?"

"I told you already that they don't matter."

"What about me, Kagome!" Inuyasha exclaimed, desperate. None of them seemed to notice his yell and he was standing right in front of them.

"What about Inuyasha?" Hojou asked after a few seconds in silence.

It was then that Kagome finally lifted up her gaze and stared at the half-demon for a couple of seconds. Inuyasha felt a stab in his heart. Kagome's eyes were giving him a completely indifferent look. They weren't shining as they used to whenever she looked at him… why?

"Why should I care about him?"

Everything went black, as if a huge tornado had appeared and washed away everything around him. It couldn't be. Why was she saying those things?

Inuyasha looked around, desperately, searching for an exit of that dark place. He was searching for Kagome. She appeared a few steps from him, after a few and interminable seconds but every time he tried to reach her she was moving away from him, always keeping her back towards him, with an aura of hatred around her.

"Kagome!" Inuyasha lifted up his arm, trying to reach the girl in front of him, but she just kept getting away from him. "Kagome, please…!"

And then his vision stared to blur.

* * *

><p>"Sango, please hurry up!"<p>

"I'm doing what I can, Kagome!" She heard her best friend yell from the lower floor.

"Kagome! Kagome, please…!"

"Easy, Inuyasha. I'm here. Calm down, it's just a nightmare, Inuyasha."

The girl took Inuyasha's right hand tightly with her left one and with her other hand gently caressed his cheek. The half-demon was churning and moaning in his sleep, desperately calling for the girl beside him.

A whole day had passed before Inuyasha began to react to the outside world, besides his ears twitching, but he wasn't able to wake up yet. He was now in a deep slumber from which he couldn't react and had started to sweat cold because of the nightmare that didn't stop repeating inside his head.

Finally, Sango entered the room, with Miroku following her close and carrying a bucket with fresh water and more cloths. Inuyasha's fever had gone up again and, in the middle of his dreams, was becoming more and more aggressive, moving his claws as if he were attacking something, trying to escape from those nightmares.

"Damn, if only the others could be here…" Sango stared, helpless, as Kagome placed a new cool cloth in Inuyasha's forehead. He couldn't have chosen a worse moment to have delusions because precisely that day was the death's anniversary of Sesshomaru and Kouga.

Inuyasha had being lucky to die at night. Since both of the warriors had died during a battle near the middle afternoon, their 'agony' was more extended and because of all the battle wounds they had – and the over protectiveness that their owners demonstrated to had – they were being attended in another room of the house, being helped by Kikyo.

Shippo and Kanna had being sent back home with Ms. Higurashi. Since that unexpected visit from Hojou the earlier day and Inuyasha's state they hadn't been able to be calm at all, that's why everyone had decided that it was best for them to be back with Kagome's mom and spent time in the woods and having fun, away from all that tension.

"I'm impressed by this place," spoke Miroku finally, changing the subject when they saw that Inuyasha had calmed down again thanks to Kagome's words and her constant caressing over his hand and forehead.

"Why do you say that, Miroku?" Sango was confused by the sudden comment.

"This house… I thought that this was just a summerhouse or something like that, but from what I heard from Hojou… this is where you used to live before, right Miss Kagome?"

She just nodded, not getting her attention from Inuyasha and keeping the soft caress over his hand with her thumb. Just like she remembered he had done the day of his resurrection.

"I was born here, Miroku. This is where I grew up… when my father died my mother got scared that the people who turned him into a Slave would come for us. He was turned into a Slave and as you may have already guessed he was kept captive in the city. During one of those times that they ordered him to steal from the house they forgot to tell him to remain silent so while he was placing money, jewels and other stuff inside a trash bag he told us what had happened."

Kagome calmed down when she noticed that Inuyasha's breathing had regulated and then she observed Miroku.

"It's not a lie that ours is a rich family, Miroku. Truth being told, 300,000 yen is pocket change for us. We had a lot of money invested in the stock market, finance and bank accounts. That's why they were after my father.

Miroku looked at her, surprised. When Kagome had began to speak, Inuyasha's left ear had twitched a bit, as usual, as if telling them that he was there but couldn't react.

"When my dad told us what had happened he also promised to find a way to escape… he even gave us some information about his captors, more physical traits than anything, and it was then when we told the police. In this town - and in many other places – just for being a Slave you don't have any right to do anything or get help but we were lucky that they wanted to help us to find him. The idea was to catch those criminals in the act but…" Her voice trailed off for a moment, remembering those days. "The next day of that was when Inuyasha found him. I don't know what my father did that made him end that way… probably his owners found out the truth, I don't know."

Kagome observed Inuyasha's face again. He moved his head a bit to his left, in his sleep, and the cloth fell from his forehead. The girl placed it again in its place, not ever letting go of his hand.

"My mom had a panic attack back then and we just moved from this place. She decided that we should have a humble life and, with the money we had we can have a comfortable life, even my grandchildren could have it." Miroku and Sango felt their jaws fall open when she said that. "But despite what Kikyou could have ever thought, we don't care for a reputation or even less… Higurashi's name isn't the same without dad and I don't care to have a name that brings reputation if it also brings problems."

When she finished her explanation, Miroku couldn't help but feel more admiration towards the woman sitting in front of him. Kagome was, indeed, unique.

At that moment he felt envious towards Inuyasha for have that wonderful girl with him.

* * *

><p>It wasn't until3 A.M. that Inuyasha finally had strength enough to open his eyes and be aware of his surroundings. He felt extremely refreshed and didn't want to spend another second lying on that bed. On the other hand he felt so good being there, with Kagome laying on his chest and keeping a firm hold of his hand even when she was sleeping.<p>

The images of those horrible nightmares returned to Inuyasha's mind and he quickly discarded them. It was impossible for Kagome to treat him like that. Why had his own subconscious believed that when she had stayed with him the whole time? He could tell since her scent had faded from the entrance of the room. He had heard every single one of her words and could remember them all but his body had been so drained because of that stupid shackle that he hadn't been able to even look at her.

Now he finally did it.

And the scene would be eternally engraved in his memory.

Inuyasha lifted his left hand and started gently stroking Kagome's cheek. She smiled, still half asleep and finally opened her eyes to look at Inuyasha. She felt immense joy when she saw he had awakened and at the same time a strong blush covered her face because of the intensity of the gaze of the hanyou. It was so difficult to behave now knowing that she had feelings for him…

How could she love him so much and not have noticed it before?

"Hi," he spoke quietly.

"H-hi…" Kagome leaned towards Inuyasha's caressing and closed her eyes, enjoying the moment. How come she hadn't realized before?

"I'm sorry for what happened, you probably hate me for attacking a good friend of yo-"

"Inuyasha, don't apologize. I shouldn't have ordered…" Kagome interrupted the hanyou and then she let down her face, with her eyes still closed. "It was my fault you almost fell into a coma. Sesshomaru himself said that had it not been for your strength you wouldn't be here… I couldn't bear the thought of…"

"I can't die, Kagome."

"But what if you hadn't woken up?" Kagome opened her eyes and stared at him, intensely. "You could have ended in a vegetative state. Maybe the shackle doesn't let you die, but your body could have just not resisted anymore… you could have been dead in life, Inuyasha… I- I wouldn't have been able to endure that."

Inuyasha felt a bit scared for the possible scenario but at the same time he was touched by Kagome's words. Having her there between his arms, so small, fragile and showing her feelings, was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. That blush in her cheeks was adorable.

"But here I am and I'm fine. Calm do-"

"You could have not been!" She finally spat, closing her eyes again when she felt that characteristic sting of tears. She didn't want to cry anymore, she was tired of it. She was strong. She wouldn't cry anymore. "What if I have to lose you too, Inuyasha?"

The hanyou widened his eyes in surprise when he noticed Kagome's aura change. For a few seconds it had showed relief, then nervousness. Then it became sad and later on scared. Now was a combination of all that plus hope and… could it be possible?

"If I had never seen you again, Inuyasha… to hear you, to call me, to see your eyes… I-" She fell silent when she noticed the intense stare that he was giving her.

"You what, Kagome?" He asked softly, straightening up without releasing her face. He could feel it, her aura and her scent. They were losing the fear and sadness, giving more space to hope and… he couldn't be wrong, it had to be…

"I- I…" Kagome lost her trail of thoughts in his gaze at the same time he let go their interlaced hands to caress the other side of Kagome's face, tenderly. His thumbs began to move so slow and so tenderly, caressing her blushing cheeks.

Inuyasha was sure, that scent was unique. But he needed to know…

"Tell me Kagome, you what?" he asked again, in a grave whisper, at the same time he got near her face, leaving only a couple of millimeters of distance between their mouths. He could feel the nervousness of the girl in his arms and she opened and closed her mouth trying to speak. That made their lips nearly touch each other.

"I-I… Inuyasha…" she managed to whisper and he closed his eyes. Hearing her say his name had made him feel special. "I lo- I lov-" She was interrupted by the sudden and so desired touch of their lips. Inuyasha had finally closed that tiny space between them to seal his lips with Kagome's.

The caressing was slow, tender and delicate. They wanted to fully feel every single movement. At the instant Inuyasha had kissed Kagome, she had returned it.

How could it feel like this? It was so wonderful. Inuyasha had no words to describe it. He hugged tightly the girl against him, once the kiss ended, and buried his face in her shoulders, not afraid of her rejection since Kagome herself was returning the embrace with the same vehemence and her face was hidden in his chest.

"I love you." Was the single breath that flowed from Inuyasha's lips and those two simple words made him feel pretty good, comforted and relieved for no longer have to carry that weight on his shoulders, that truth that he didn't dare to say.

Kagome sobbed slightly and hugged him strongly. Finally she lifted up her face and searched for his mouth. He was already waiting for her. They kissed again, always with tenderness, with tranquility, with no hurry or outbursts.

Two single tears fell that night, two tears that symbolized the end of solitude in different scale for each other. Two single tears that marked the end of those years of suffering and that promised a brand new future. A future in which they'll have each other.

Inuyasha once had said that it was valid to cry, not because doing so stopped one from being a man, on the contrary, that only proved his infinite bliss in different ways. What mattered if he was a Slave? That wouldn't prevent him from enjoy at maximum the days that he could be allowed to be with Kagome, with no more doubts. Without regretting anything anymore.

Kagome was said to be stronger, but she had never felt with so much strength that she felt at that moment, between Inuyasha's arms, expressing her love and truth feelings with all her heart and without fear. This was the real strength, she could be herself in front of him without fear and she knew that he would always be there for her. And for that she would be eternally grateful.

Maybe Kagome had saved him from a life of suffering as a Slave, but Inuyasha had also saver her own life, allowing her to remember that despite the bad experiences in life, despite having shells around herself, despite ignoring the entire world – all of it was nothing once you found out your loved one. Inuyasha was that loved one.

Finally the two of them separated and Kagome sighed sweetly, while keeping her eyes closed and her forehead pressed against his. Inuyasha observed her, spellbound. All of her was beautiful. There was not a single trace of Kagome that didn't seem perfect to him, even her anger and their fights – which he knew they would still have for the smallest things – all of it made Kagome, Kagome. That was the way he adored her. That's the way he loved her.

"I love you too, Inuyasha." The girl finally answered, opening her eyes and looking at him with her chocolate orbs. He smirked when he noticed that characteristic brightness in her eyes, the brightness that she always carried whenever she looked at him. He finally kissed her once again, conveying in it all what he felt for her. Kagome returned it the same way.

There were no more doubts, no more pain. There wasn't any other person besides both of them at that place, that's all they needed. They were no more fool nightmares and suffering in vain. There was no more loneliness.

He had been born for her… and she had been born for him.

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><p><strong>Author Notes:<strong> And I don't care that the last sentence had been a 'cliché' phrase XP – And I hope not had been sooo corny XD at first I had decided to make 'suffer' a bit more to Kagome, but then I was like: Naaaaah they deserve happiness ^^ on the other hand I don't write lemon, or suggest it so no, before any of you want to ask, there will not be lemon or anything like that in this fic. ^^ I'll wait for your reviews, take care!


	15. Dealing with the first problems

**_Author notes: _**_And for the chapter 15! We're almost done. Yep, 7 more chapters (besides this one), the epilogue and a special chapter and we'll be done with this story. I can't believe it! TT-TT When I first started to translate this I honestly thought that it wouldn't last, but here I am =3 late but here ^^U sorry. Work hunting, you know. Thanks to all of you! For your reviews, your help, your readings and alerts ^^ I hope you enjoy this chapter =)_

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><p><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: Besides the plot line, I don't own anything. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Yomiuri TV Corporation. I'm not getting any profit from this story; this was just made for fun.

**Warning**: Maybe there is bad language? I'm not so sure what you consider bad language... ^^U

**Thanks to**: Thanks to my beta reader, PandaStarz, for her wonderful work on this chapter.

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><p><strong>Slavery.<br>Author**: MikoAucarod

Chapter 15: Dealing with the first problems.

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><p>The next morning of Inuyasha's confession, he and Kagome went down stairs and greeted everyone. Even Sesshomaru and Kouga – who were now reestablished – looked at Inuyasha with relief, then with surprise and finally with joy – and some mischievous looks from Miroku – when they noticed they were holding hands.<p>

Kikyo and Miroku spoke with them about Hojou and so Kagome agreed to call him to inform about Inuyasha's awakening, but nothing more.

The half-demon had been listening to everything around him during his unconsciousness, even Hojou's last question to Kikyo before he left. He could understand that boy a bit more and didn't hold any grudge against him – deep, deep inside him he was grateful to him, thanks to that incident he was now with Kagome – but he also understood Kagome's decision of not letting Hojou visit them, at least for now. He himself was doubtful about his behavior in Hojou's presence if he were to say another stupid thing.

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><p>Finally, the last weekend for them to spend at the beach came and they all decided to split up and spend the day however they wanted around the town and enjoy this last couple of days.<p>

Kagome decided that she and Inuyasha should go to the cinema and watch a movie that had just been released that she was dying to see.

"What's so interesting about those movies, Kagome?" asked the hanyou after having accepted – after many pleas, begs, and a couple of kisses from Kagome – to go with her to the center of the town.

"It's the movie of the year, Inuyasha. It has received very good reviews and the plot sounds interesting enough, even the cast is excellent," said Kagome, staring at the schedules, deciding in which room they should see it.

Inuyasha sighed and shook his head but said no more. If that was making Kagome happy, then he would go with her to watch that movie, even if his ears died in the process.

Finally, Kagome made a decision and both of them went to the ticket booth where a young woman, not over twenty years old, attended them.

"Two tickets for theatre 6, please." Kagome asked while searching her purse for the money to pay for them.

"That will be one regular ticket and one Slave's ticket. Will that be all?" That phrase made the girl stop in the middle of her search. She had completely forgotten how racist people were in this town. They establishments in that area – just like most of the other ones in the world - always did things in order for the Slaves to be apart the regular humans.

"No, I came to see the movie _with_ him, I want two regular tickets." She insisted and Inuyasha knew at that moment that things weren't going to end well.

"I'm sorry, miss, but my orders are to give Slaves a Slave's Ticket. He will be able to enjoy the movie, just like anyone inside the cinema. They are assigned a small separate room below the projector and have no problem with visibility."

"But they're isolated from the rest of us."

"That's to not disturb the other clients, miss; they could feel insulted for sharing a room with a Slave."

"He has a name, stop calling him that!"

"Kagome, it's okay, it's no big deal. Just buy the tickets and let's go inside, anyway we'll be able to watch the movie."

"No, you'll be in another room, maybe watching the movie, but we came together, Inuyasha, if you're not going with me, then I'm not going and that's it." Kagome then turned on her heels and stepped outside the line, winning herself a lot of incredulous looks from the other clients.

"Kagome, it doesn't bother me, really. You really want to see that movie," insisted the half-demon, walking hastily until stopping in front of her and placing his hands on her shoulders. "I even can wait for you here, outside. There's really no problem, at all, Kag."

Since when was he so comprehensive?

She stared the ground, as if she were considering Inuyasha's proposal, but then she looked at him again, with a determined face.

"No. If society kick's you out then they'll kick me out too, because I won't do you the same thing they do to you. It's so inhuman!"

"… We're not humans, Kag." He reminded her and that made Kagome growl with frustration.

"To hell with society and their stupid prejudices!" And just like that, she took Inuyasha's hand and left the theatre.

They both walked around the center of the town. There were a lot of shopping stores and locals with a lot of different things, so Inuyasha couldn't say that the walking was boring, but Kagome was upset and he noticed.

"Kag, it is not necessary to get mad because of me," spoke the half-demon, pulling his hand, which still was intertwined with hers and embracing the girl, noticing how tense she was. He had sworn that he would never have more doubts or hesitation in front of her and he intended to keep that promise.

"It isn't fair," she finally spoke. "There's a lot of things I want to us do together and we will not be able just because of those stupid laws discriminating the Slaves. It's so unfair for both of us," she concluded, hugging him in return, placing her arms behind his neck.

Inuyasha rubbed her back, trying to comfort her while with his other hand he was caressing her hair, always being careful, always calm.

"Well… I had never been in a situation like this. No one ever wanted to be with me the same way you do… so I'm not sure what am I supposed to do now." Kagome placed her head over his shoulder and sighed.

"You could kick the asses of all those imbeciles…"

"You order I obey without doubt."

The girl considered the offer, but then she chuckled and shook her head.

"Nah, it would be worse, you could get in trouble. I wish I could do something to change this situation… I just wanted to watch a movie with you, was that so much to ask?"

"I guess… I haven't really thought about all the problems and bad things that you would have to carry for having a relationship with a Slave." Inuyasha's voice had a hint of depression. "I can't force you to go through a situation like this, Kag. If you want, we can-"

"Don't even think about it, Inuyasha!" She scolded, sending him an angry glare. "Did you force me to have this with you? I was the one who made my own decisions. These are my feelings and I don't regret any second of this." Then Kagome stood on her toes and kissed him. Inuyasha responded to the kiss, grateful to know that she didn't want to abandon him. However, his conscience couldn't be calm.

When they broke apart, Inuyasha placed his forehead against hers.

"Kag, I love you, but I couldn't stand seeing you suffer for defending me or our relationship. There are a lot of problems involved."

"So what?" was her answer, and then her gaze relaxed. She couldn't get mad at Inuyasha, not right now at least. "Whatever comes, we'll go through it together, nothing will happen to us… and if the world goes against us, we just leave the world and that's it."

Inuyasha laughed at her last comment. Oh, Kagome… always so impulsive.

"You're wonderful, Kag," he said, with a strong blush on his cheeks. He started to wonder how corny he would act around her if he didn't learn to keep his mouth closed. "Thank you," he concluded, giving her another kiss, which Kagome received, delighted.

"Love shouldn't be thanked for." Was her answer, and then they started to walk again. "Well, let's go for an ice-cream then… if they ask me if I want a cone for humans and one for Slaves I swear I'm gonna…"

Inuyasha laughed out loud, while putting his right arm over Kagome's shoulders and making their way towards the restaurants area.

It was then that Hojou came out from the store they had been standing in front of just a few seconds ago. He wasn't following them. He was just doing the shopping for his house when he noticed Kagome standing in front of the window of the store, angry. Then he saw how Inuyasha stopped her and witnessed all of their talk and actions.

Obviously it hurt him to see and hear all of that. He couldn't say that he loved Kagome, but she was everything he knew about how 'to-have-a-friend' felt like. However, when he saw them walk away he was glad that at least one of them could finally be happy.

He remembered then the phone call he had received from Kagome. When he had asked if he could go for a visit, she firmly, but not cruelly, had said no. He had finally understood her decision. She didn't want to hate him, but all of them were well aware of the constant fighting there would be with he and Inuyasha if they encountered each other again and something went out of control. So, she preferred to keep their friendship as a good memory and they would continue with their lives each one separate, for good.

He agreed with that and intended to make it happen.

Finally, with his groceries in hand, Hojou started walking but then an idea crossed his mind. Smiling, he took the path from which Inuyasha and Kagome had come from and then he formulated his plan.

* * *

><p>"It's a shame, Kagome. You were so excited for the release of that movie," spoke Sango, while they both were walking on the beach during the sunset.<p>

"Yeah well…" Kagome kicked a rock and kept walking with her gaze over the sand. "I can always rent it or buy it once it comes out in DVD. Then we can watch it at the living room, without anyone troubling us and with the company of a good pizza…"

Despite the delicious scenery, Kagome held a depressed look.

"It wasn't the movie that made you mad, was it?"

"No… It hurt me so much to see that kind of rejection towards Inuyasha. She didn't stop calling him Slave, Sango."

"… well, they are Slaves, indeed. You can't change the society to think of them the same way we do.

"… I wish so much that I could do that…"

Inuyasha was observing and listening to her, through the window from his room. His ears were folded against his skull. He had been so selfish and now it was his fault that Kagome would have to face a lot of problems that she didn't deserve… Why hadn't he thought about things like that before bringing her into his problems?

It was then when he detected Hojou's scent. It wasn't getting near the cottage, he wasn't even at the beach, but he was certain that he was somewhere around there. He wanted to believe that he was just passing by the main road, but he discarded that idea. The cottage was out of the town, in the beach and with nothing else of interest near the place. What was he doing there?

Inuyasha jumped off from the window and went undetected towards the place he could sense that the scent was stronger. Contrary to his first thoughts, Hojou was on the opposite way from where Kagome was.

He walked for a few minutes and then he found him, sitting at the edge of the main road, as if he were waiting for him.

"Hi," he greeted, calmly. Then he stood up and brushed the dust from his pants. "I see you have fully recovered, I'm glad, honestly."

"What do you want here?" Inuyasha wasn't being aggressive, but he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous from his presence.

"I could see that you really love her…" That phrase made Inuyasha stare him in shock and a slight blush tried to cross his cheeks. How the hell did he-? "I heard your conversation this afternoon. You should have more consideration for us who are doing our purchases."

Inuyasha stared the floor, somewhat embarrassed but then when he noticed Hojou moving he looked at him again, and was surprised for see what he had in his hands.

"Is that…?"

"I know you'll give them a good use. I'm perfectly sure that this is the one she wanted. She never missed the saga then it first came out." Hojou extended his hand and allowed Inuyasha to take what he was offering him. "I recommend you act natural. Wear a cap, and a turtle neck shirt should cover the rest. And just go along with the thought 'I have the right to be here'. Truth be told, you have it, Inuyasha."

Even if it seemed like Hojou was speaking nonsense, Inuyasha understood perfectly what he was talking about.

"Also, if you consider it prudent to do so, tell Kagome that I'm really sorry for all that happened. Not just a few weeks ago… but for our childhood as well. I'll travel for a time, meet the world and who knows, maybe I can change, just like she did. Also, tell her that I wish her with all my heart the greatest of happiness. Will you?"

Inuyasha, unable to keep his eyes from his hand, where he kept a firm hold on the objects Hojou had given him, merely nodded. When he looked up again, the young man had already left.

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><p>"I don't understand, Inuyasha. We're leaving today and we should be packing our stuff…"<p>

"I packed everything last night. We would only need to pack up what we used today and that won't take any time." Was the hanyou's answer, who was wearing a pair of his favorites jeans, – and Miroku had told them it was a waste of time to bring them, Keh! – a black, sleeveless turtleneck and a small white fluffy cap that covered his ears. He was walking without any hurry towards the center of the town, with a firm grasp around Kagome's waist making her blush in an adorable way.

"All right but where are you taking me?"

"We'll go to see that movie."

"Oh no, Inuyasha. We already discussed this, I won't allow them to-" Inuyasha stopped in his tracks and place one of his claws over Kagome's lips, stopping her scolding.

"Trust me, OK?" Kagome just nodded, half-hypnotized from his golden eyes.

When they got to the cinema, Inuyasha and Kagome entered the building and, without even look at the ticket's office, he led her towards one of the rooms. He knew exactly where he was going.

"Inuyasha, the tick-"

"May I see your tickets, sir, please?" Asked one of the workers from the place, when he noticed them near the room he was in charge of. Room number 6.

"Sure, here they are." Inuyasha held the tickets, making sure to hide his claws with his fingers.

"Very good, please this way." The man entered the room and guided them between the seat rows with the help of a small lantern. The room already had turned off the lights and the commercials before the movie had started.

"Enjoy the movie" was the last phrase of the man, when they found a seat, and he left the room.

"Thank you very much," answered Inuyasha, politely, while sitting down and helping Kagome to do the same next to him, since she was in a near-shock state.

"How the hell did you do that, Inuyasha?"

"It's a long story, I could interrupt the movie…"

"All right, but you're so telling me when we got out."

Inuyasha nodded and accommodated himself in the seat to watch the movie… which he had no idea what it was.

But when the commercials ended and Kagome's excitement flowed from her for being able to watch that movie, Inuyasha didn't care if it was a comedy or a stupid romantic movie or even if it was a children's movie. Just as long as Kagome was content…

Oh hell yeah! Resident Evil 4…! He definitely loved Kagome!

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><p><strong><em>Final notes:<em>**

_When I first wrote this chapter, Resident Evil 4 had just released in my country, so that's why I choose that movie for them to see. I couldn't think of any decent movie recently released that could excite Inuyasha so I left the original one =)_


	16. Why is this happening?

**_Author notes: _**_As I said in the author notes, I had a hard time. Luckily I'm better now ^^ so I'll begin to update regularly again =) thank you for all your support ^^_

_Once again remember that my native language isn't English, so I may have grammar errors. But since it's been too long since my last update I don't know if my beta-readers are still willing to help me, anyway I did my best and I'll try to update the revised version soon ^^ thank you so much for your words =D see you next Friday! I promise the updates won't be slow again. Pinky promise!_

_And sorry for take over two months to update the story, at least last time I didn't left cliffhangers… … … ^^U_

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><p><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: Besides the plot line, I don't own anything. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Yomiuri TV Corporation. I'm not getting any profit from this story; this was just made for fun.

**Warning**: Maybe there is bad language? I'm not so sure what you consider bad language... ^^U

**Thanks to: **My beta reader, PandaStarz, for her wonderful work on this chapter.

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><p><strong>Slavery.<br>Author**: MikoAucarod

Chapter 16: Why is this happening?

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><p>"Good, this is the last one," said Miroku, placing the last of the suitcases on the roof of the van. That day they would return home.<p>

"Yeah, but…" Kouga approached and moved the same suitcase a bit to the left, "this is much better."

"Whoa, you're right, Kouga."

"Hey, guys… one thing is Kagome making a tower with our suitcases, but yours is exaggerated." Inuyasha approached them, with his hands inside his jeans pockets, while observing the 'castle' – Miroku swore it was a castle - made of their suitcases.

"Well, Miss Kagome's idea was good. Besides, it was boring to just put them on the roof and in the trunk of the van."

"You two are hopeless."

"Let them have fun, Inuyasha," spoke Sango, walking towards them with four ice pops in her hands. "Thanks for all the help."

"It was a pleasure, my dear Sango. Thanks to you for bringing us this exquisite delicacy." Miroku took her hands between his – she was still carrying the ice pop – and made her blush.

"W-well… d-don't exaggerate, Miroku. They're just ice pops."

"Brought from the heavens, believe me."

"Stop being corny, Miroku," Inuyasha huffed, rolling his eyes, bothered.

"Oh, Inuyasha. Don't tell me you've never said something nice to Miss Kagome," the monk responded while placing his left arm around Sango's shoulders in some kind of hug, which only made her blush deeper.

"Keh! That's not any of your business, pervert."

"Is everything ready, guys?" asked Kagome, approaching and looking at the castle with an expression of awe. She was excited; it looked so cool! "Great! We can go now!"

"Driver's seat!" yelled Kagura, waving the keys of the van and climbing into the driver's seat. Sesshomaru, silent as always, took his place in the front passenger seat.

Finally, with everyone settled, the van started to move. Kagome, who was sitting in the back, along with Inuyasha and Kikyo on either side of her, couldn't help but look behind her and stare at her former home getting away while they entered the main road and left the beach.

"It's weird… at first, my mom didn't wanted us to come here alone… but I wanted to return and enjoy some time with all of you…" she spoke, mostly to herself but gained all the attention of Inuyasha who placed one of his hands over her shoulder and squeezed it lightly.

"I can imagine that it had to be hard, right? To get away from your home, from where you were born, where you grow up. To leave behind everything you knew..." _'To see it destroyed in just a second.' _He didn't say that last phrase out loud, and his voice had been soft, as if not wanting to trouble her.

"Well… not really. Mom was scared, but thankfully, I was old enough to understand and I managed to catch up with everything. Besides we're not that far away from here, as you can see… it was good to return for a while." She smiled with nostalgia and that made him look at the beach too. It had almost vanished behind the path.

"Hojou came home. The day we couldn't enter the cinema," he said, just like that, making Kagome to look at him with doubt and some fear.

"Did something happen?" Inuyasha shook his head and smiled a bit, making her relax.

"On the contrary. It was him who gave me the tickets. He saw us when you were insulting the world and understood what had happened. He told me that he was sure that that was the movie you wanted to see since, years ago, when the first ones of the saga came out, you never missed them."

It was Kagome's turn to smile, tenderly, for the gesture of who had been her childhood friend. Perhaps with time, just like it had happened with Kikyo, he could change for better.

"What else did he say?"

"That he would travel around the world and try to make things right. Change for good, just like your cousin… just like you."

Kagome nodded, glad, and sitting correctly again, she placed her head on Inuyasha's left shoulder. He held her hand and began to rub her thumb, as usual. Nevertheless, a blush came over the hanyou's face and he looked out through the window, trying to ignore Kikyo's giggling.

"I hope he succeed…" was the last whisper of the teenager, who closed her eyes and gave herself to a small afternoon nap.

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><p>It was dark when they entered the road leading to the apartments, so Kagura chose to go first to Kagome's house for them to rest and the next morning they would depart towards their respective homes. Besides, she needed to pick up her sister from their place.<p>

Everyone stepped out of the vehicle. Inuyasha was carrying Kagome bridal style, since her 'afternoon nap' had turned into a deep slumber. While everyone else began to untie the suitcases and got everything they needed out of the van, Inuyasha went to the apartment's door but then he noticed something weird.

"Kagome, wake up…" he whispered, moving her slightly while staring at the door. It was half open and the interior of the house was completely dark. The whole place was barely illuminated thanks to the street lamps.

"Mmm… What's wrong, Inuyasha?" she mumbled, stopping mid-yawn.

"Something's wrong…" Inuyasha placed her on the floor and she woke up immediately at that phrase.

"Oh no… Mom! Shippo!" She exclaimed and before Inuyasha could stop her, she fully opened the door and entered her home. The hanyou felt petrified to think that something could be inside the house that could hurt her. His feet soon began to run towards the house.

When he crossed the door, the lights shouted on, forcing him to close his eyes for a moment. Kagome had pressed the switch and what they saw in front of them left them shocked.

Their home was completely destroyed.

Literally.

The furniture was destroyed and scattered all over the place. The walls showed burn marks and other ones had holes through them. It seemed that they had been stabbed with claws of a very large tiger. The TV looked as it had been hit by something similar to a giant canon ball and kept throwing sparks.

They could hear the water running out from the damaged pipes but the floor was barely soaking so this had not happened a long time ago.

Kagome looked for all over the place, fearing the worst, but they were only material stuff in there. Then she ran began to follow Inuyasha towards the second floor. His face was carrying an emotion that she had never seen before in him. He was purely terrified.

When they got upstairs, they observed how all the room's doors had been destroyed, some cut in half, other ones completely burned and small woodchips were scattered all over the floor.

Inuyasha then detected Kagome's mother, Shippo's and Kanna's faint smell so he went towards it. He entered the room he used to share with Kagome, Kikyo and Shippo.

He then discovered where the smell was coming from. There was a small lock of hair from each one of them, hidden near the balcony, which had also received damage. Part of the stone railing was broken and the glass door was now shattered.

"Where's my mom?" Kagome almost cried, taking between her hands the locks of hair that Inuyasha handed towards her. He also was terrified but he knew that they weren't at home and he couldn't smell their blood so at least they hadn't been hurt… he just hoped that they hadn't been kidnapped.

"Their scent ends here… I can't-" and then he felt it. Shippo's scent DID get away from the balcony, towards the forest. Because he was a youkai his scent managed to linger in the air for more time than a human one could. "They're fine. They managed to run away…"

"How are you so sure?"

Inuyasha got out to the balcony and stared towards the forest. Being outside it was more notorious, it was faint and almost inexistent, but it was there, their scents, the three of them, getting away from the building and mixing between the trees of the forest.

"They are. We have to get away from here, and quickly." He observed how Kagome took from the bedside table the bag with stones that Kei had given to her and placed them safely inside her pocket.

And then there was an explosion.

* * *

><p>"Oh no… Mom! Shippo!" Sesshomaru heard Kagome's yell and he turned around, only to see how Inuyasha went inside the dark house and then the lights went on.<p>

Something wasn't right. His youkai instincts woke up and he began to study everything around them. Everything was deadly silent and the street was empty and dark, except for the street lamps. But that didn't help him to see farther away than a couple of meters.

It was at moments like these that he hated most the power the shackle had over his supernatural powers. They had been minimized; he wasn't at his full capacity. With time he had come to terms with it and had adapted his fighting style but that didn't make it less frustrating.

He spent the next couple of minutes in silence, observing the work of everybody else. Kagura had insisted that she would carry the packs, but she was having troubles untying the ropes that kept them in place over the van's roof. He couldn't help but think that that woman was really stubborn.

Finally, they got down all the backpacks and began to walk towards the house, not knowing what was happening inside.

It was then that he heard it, the unmistakable sound of a weapon being activated, it was faint, but it was there. Kouga also heard it.

At the next moment, Sesshomaru and Kouga used their demonic powers and threw themselves towards the others, hastily pushing them inside the house. At the next second, where they had been standing there was an explosion.

The van was now covered in fire and a second shot was heard.

"Everyone to the forest, now, now, now!" exclaimed Sesshomaru, at the same time that he pushed them away of the entrance of the house, where the next bomb fell. It was some kind of bazooka what was being shot at them.

Kouga got first to the back door at the kitchen and told the girls to hurry up. Miroku was behind them, making sure every one managed to get out without injuries.

Almost at the same time, Inuyasha went down, carrying Kagome on his back.

"Get them all out of here! Miroku, Kouga, take them to the forest. Try to find some trace from Shippo!" was the order the hanyou gave to them while giving a scared Kagome to the monk, who nodded and without saying anything else, guided the girls over the forest. Every one of them was so scared that they only managed to follow, being protected at their backs by Kouga, who kept saying them to hurry and get out of the place.

Whatever was happening, it wasn't safe for the girls.

What the hell had happened so suddenly?

"We must get out of here, too. The entire place is on fire," spoke Inuyasha to the taiyoukai at the same time they heard another explosion. This one was launched towards the second floor.

The front wall collapsed and Sesshomaru could notice, in the middle of the flames, the silhouette of someone standing on the roof of a building that was a far distance from their place.

"It's a planned attack; they know we're in here, Inuyasha. We must stop them."

And Inuyasha knew why. If they ran away and whoever attacked them managed to follow them, they would find the girls and put them in risk. The flames were now covering the entire floor and touching the ceiling of the first floor. And then they could see them. Thanks to their enhanced abilities they could notice a group of six people outside the building, approaching from the main road towards the van on fire and looking towards the house. The silhouette of the one who had shouted at them was nowhere to be seen, so they supposed that he was going towards the place at that moment.

"Another thing that I'll add to the long and endless list of things that I hate of these shackles… is that the order never vanishes unless someone manages to counter it…"

They couldn't kill their attackers. One of their former owners had been a pacifist and when the wars ended he ordered them never to kill any human again.

And their attackers were human. Or at least, they seemed to be.

"I believe they're already dead…"

"Maybe they're hiding in another apartment of the building."

"We can't take the risk, brother. Naraku told us-"

"I know what he said, Jakotsu. Tell Renkotsu to shoot at the entire building, we will entirely burn it."

"Right away, brother Bankotsu."

Sesshomaru turned towards Inuyasha and with a movement of his head, told him to get out of the building. If they believed that they had died during the explosion that would make things easier for them.

They heard new explosions and the building began to collapse and burn in fire completely. Inuyasha and Sesshomaru managed to get out and hide between the branches of the trees, focused and alert, just in case someone decided to go to the back of the building and search for them. It was then that Inuyasha remembered the couple of old men that also lived at the building and he felt as if a cold tank of water fell over him.

"Damn, Sesshomaru! Myoga and Totousai are-" when Inuyasha turned his gaze towards Totousai's department, he felt his stomach drop down then he saw that part of the building collapsing entirely, as if it was only a tower of cards being blown away by the wind.

'Dammit, now because of us they were-'

A new sound could be heard and they turned their eyes towards the other side of the building. Myoga's apartment was already in flames. Then the window of his room exploded and two figures emerged from that place. Totousai was carrying Myoga over his back and was running with a noticeable speed, to be just an old man, towards the forest, where he found a secure place to hide among the shadows of the trees.

Finally, the building turned into ruins and, luckily for them, those people had already gone. Inuyasha sighed in relief, at least, for now the danger had gone… but they couldn't let their guards down again. He knew it now: Naraku was capable of anything to take his revenge. And now he had allies… some very aggressive allies for his taste.

He allowed himself to relax a moment but when he turned to look at Sesshomaru he noticed he wasn't at his side anymore but standing next to the old men and was holding Totousai in the air, with a strong grip around the collar of his shirt. Totousai was just smiling in shame and hurt, but he could see his eyes were terrified. Myoga, at Sesshomaru's feet was struggling to breath normally again, coughing once in a while because of all the smoke.

Inuyasha went towards Sesshomaru in less than a second and forced him to drop Totousai.

"What the hell's wrong with you, Sesshomaru?"

"Tell me where Rin is!" exclaimed the youkai, barely being stopped by Inuyasha. Totousai helped Myoga to stand and when he noticed that the poor man was all right he looked towards Sesshomaru.

"You were very clever, Sesshomaru… Inuyasha never noticed that I was a youkai, not even when he came to visit me with Kagome."

The young half-demon widened his eyes in surprise. Totousai was a youkai? That explained his act a few seconds ago but… how damn lucky he was for have been able to live all those centuries and not be turned into a Slave!

"First, we must take Myoga to a safe place. He's human and he's old. Then we can peacefully have a talk, Sesshomaru… but no. I don't know where the little Rin is."

Inuyasha felt terribly confused and out of place at that moment, he couldn't understand what had happened before or what was happening right now.

It was then that a small blue flame appeared between everyone and Shippo's form appeared from the nothing. A ghostly vision, they must say, because it seemed to be made of that blue fire.

"Inuyasha, the girls are safe, look at the base of the mountain for a cave. I left a trace near the lake, they're 'crying mushrooms', they will react once you get near of them. We're all safe and fine. Don't worry about us. We hope you too are ok."

And with that, the ghostly vision disappeared.

"I think…" was the first thing that Inuyasha's mind managed to organize. Just ten minutes ago he had been very calm, staring at Kagome and thinking how beautiful she looked while sleeping and now he felt a tremendous adrenaline running all throughout his body. "I think… we must go to the lake and then find the guys…"

Not saying anything more, Inuyasha walked towards the old Myoga, carrying him on his back and then moved towards the lake, being followed closely by Totousai. Sesshomaru, however, stared again towards the ruins of the building.

"Damn it, Bankotsu… how the hell did you managed to survive? You're humans… you should be long dead."

Sesshomaru stood there, staring at the rubble… when he thought that Naraku may have had allies, he never thought that he would have under his power to the seven most powerful and dangerous warriors of ancient Japan.

"I suppose… that exploiting and showing off your skills was what led you to conviction. Being Slaves because of your abilities… what a stupid thing."

He finally turned around and began to follow Inuyasha's trail.

Things would be turned upside down from now on, he knew.


	17. Searching for a new home

**Author Notes: **Thank you for all your readings ^^ I'm glad to see that you haven't entirely forgotten about me. Well, let's keep going before I lose my strength again LOL

I hope you like this chapter, it's not one of the bests, and there's not so much movement or development, is more like a transition, but I hope you enjoy it anyway =)

When I originally wrote this chapter I had troubles on focusing and not making the characters too much OOC. That may be noted at the beginning of the chapter but while I was writing it went smoothly and I managed to move forward. I hope you like the end of it ^^

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><p><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: Besides the plot line, I don't own anything. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Yomiuri TV Corporation. I'm not getting any profit from this story; this was just made for fun.

**Warning**: Maybe there is bad language? I'm not so sure what you consider bad language... ^^U

**Thanks to: **My beta reader, PandaStarz, for her wonderful work on this chapter.

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><p><strong>Slavery.<strong>

**Author:**MikoAucarod

Chapter 17. Searching for a new home.

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><p>Finally, after they had been walking for a few minutes, Inuyasha stood at the side of the lake, the same one where he had found Kagome when Kikyo had forced him to kiss her.<p>

"Now which way?" asked Sesshomaru, walking beside Totousai, who was staring calmly at his surroundings.

"Shippo said that he had left a trace; it must be somewhere near here." Inuyasha put old Myoga down from his back and started walking around the lake, searching for any sign of Shippo's magic.

"He said that it would be something like a crying plant, didn't he?" Sesshomaru observed around them, completely alert to any single sound or shadow he could catch. The memory of the earlier attack made the tension and adrenaline keep running freely through his veins.

"I think he said crying mushrooms…" Finally, when he stepped over a flat rock near the north side of the lake, Inuyasha spotted how a small plant emerged from the earth. It was a small mushroom with two big eyes from where lots of tears were falling and a small whimpering could be heard. As a chain reaction, more and more plants began to appear, creating a path for them to follow.

* * *

><p>"They're not answering… They're not answering!" yelled Kagura, moving her arms as if she were ready to throw her mobile phone against the rock walls of the cave where they were, but her common sense told her not to throw it.<p>

"Relax, Kagura. Maybe they're out or they're already sleeping. Maybe they-"

"Maybe they're dead!" exclaimed the young girl, glaring at Kouga, who only sighed at her negative thoughts.

"Kagura, don't yell like that," said Kagome to the red eyed woman, whose face was pale as a candle. Both of them were really scared. Kagome herself was worried sick for Inuyasha. "We don't know what's happening and it'll be better for all of us if we keep our heads clear, none of us is hurt and we should be thankful for that. All we can do is to remain calm and-"

"They're here!" interrupted Shippo, while running towards the silhouettes that were approaching the cave. Kagome stared in disbelief and relief at the couple of Slaves that were slowly walking, with the company of their neighbors, towards them.

Everyone got out of the cave to receive them; aside from being covered from head to toes with soot and debris, they weren't injured.

Kagome was the first one to reach them and launched herself to Inuyasha's arms. He had just put down Old Myoga and hugged her tightly, finally calming at the sight of her unharmed, safe.

It wasn't long until they explained what had happened and their story left more than one person really perturbed.

"There's no doubt, they were the Band of Seven Warriors," spoke Kouga, sitting in front of a fire that they had managed to turn on in order to protect themselves of the cold of the night. They had lost everything during that attack. "They finally shared the same fate we had, didn't they? Being enslaved because of their abilities…"

"But, how could they have ended up under Naraku's orders? He's in prison!" Kikyo was terrified of the simple idea of him being free and on the streets.

"Do you remember what I told you some time ago?" It was Sesshomaru's turn to speak. He was standing against the wall of the cave and had his arms folded over his chest. His glare was almost a reproachful one. "It was highly probable that he had contacts outside prison. Somehow he managed to escape, that's a fact. If he wasn't, he couldn't have given that order to Bankotsu. Maybe they're Slaves of someone else and they were just given to him in order to fulfill his plan for tonight."

"There's a high probability that he's only coming for us," said Inuyasha, looking at the girls. "I think that the best we can do is for Ayame, Kagura and Sango to not be near us. If he's looking for Kikyo as revenge for what we did to him, he'll take whoever gets in his way to get what he want. The whole family is already involved."

Everyone stared at the floor, feeling bad.

"It's cruel… but Inuyasha's right. You'll only be at risk if you stay near us," admitted Kagome, after some minutes in silence.

"And what are we supposed to do? Just watch you die?" exclaimed Sango, standing up and staring at them, clearly upset. "We're your friends and we're in this together. I'm not going to allow some idiot to tear us apart."

"This isn't any of your business at all. It's me who he's looking for," was Kikyo's answer. Her eyes were filled with tears, but she didn't let them fall. "If that's the case then everyone should get away from me and you won't have any more troubles, no one is going to be in danger only because I-"

"Kikyo, we're a family, we can't let you go by yourself and be at risk." Kagome's mother approached the girl, who was shaking, and hugged her, making Kikyo finally snap and begin to cry on her shoulder. "I'll make it clear to you: You're not alone anymore, understand that. And we're not going to allow Naraku to get near you ever again."

"Then what do we do?" was the quiet question of Shippo, who looked at everyone, waiting for a magical solution.

"We have already imprisoned him once, we can do that again," stated Inuyasha. Miroku stood up.

"Well, then I suggest that we should go to sleep now, the cave is big enough for all of us and tomorrow we can see what to do. Being well rested and more relaxed we can formulate a plan to-"

"I already told you that this isn't of your business!"

"You're no one to control our lives, Kikyo! It's our choice and we choose to help you, it's our responsibility." Ayame got near both women, since Kagome's mother kept holding the black haired girl, in order to calm her down. "My parents have a very good position inside the Government and the Justice's Department, I can be of help."

"And with that you'll only involve your family in unnecessary risks."

"They're not answering!" yelled Kagura again, finally breaking into sobs and at the next moment, Sesshomaru was kneeling besides her and letting her hug him, seeking comfort.

"My sister is very worried because she thinks that Naraku may also attack our families. Since we got to the cave she's been trying to reach them but no one's picking up the phone," said Kanna, making a big drop of sweat run over everybody's heads.

"I don't think Naraku is the kind of guy to go over all the city randomly killing people."

"Kouga, don't say it that way."

And they kept arguing for a long time that night.

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><p>The next morning, Inuyasha was resting on the branch of a nearby tree. Despite not having felt any presence during the whole night, he just couldn't sleep.<p>

"Inuyasha, are you ok?" called Kagome, standing under the same tree and at the next moment he got down from there, standing in front of her. Her expression turned into one of worry. "You didn't sleep at all last night?"

"As I can see, neither did you."

Both of them had large dark circles marked around their eyes.

"Well, I'm grateful that my mom didn't get all hysterical or begin to yell like a crazy woman but… I just lost my home, Inuyasha. I think I couldn't have slept even if I had tried to… I think…I'm… I'm scared," she finally whispered, and at that moment, Inuyasha held her against him protectively.

"Don't worry, Kag. We're all fine, and I'll always be here to protect you, you must not be scared. I'll protect you," he vowed, kissing her forehead softly. "I would die before I let them hurt you."

"That's what I'm scared of the most." Inuyasha let out a small 'Keh!' and then he kissed the girl in his arms, wanting to bring her comfort, peace and mostly security, love and hope. Her soul needed that. "I just couldn't stand that-" she spoke again, after they broke the kiss, and placed her forehead against the half demon's. "… That you should have to sacrifice yourself to save me or my mom… or anyone… I don't want to lose you, Inuyasha."

"You won't, Kagome. You won't."

And then both got inside the cave, waiting for everyone to wake up and try to find a solution, wishing that some kind of magical or divine power had pulled it out of nowhere.

It was then that Kagura's cell phone began to ring. She hastily picked up.

"Hello? Mo- Mom, what the hell happened to you last night that you never answ-! What do you mean you went on a trip as a second Honey Moon? You have no idea how worr-! What? The news? No. Well we don't have a TV in here so- No, mom, I'm not dead! No, neither is Kann-! No, mom, I don't think heaven has a cell phone recept- How I'm supposed to know? I've no idea if they could work or not, I'm not dead! I thought you were the ones dea-! Dad, hang up the other line! It's not funny! Yeah, we're ok. No, I'm not going to tell them th- No, I won't put the speak-! Mom, I'm telling y-!"

Kagura was interrupted by Sesshomaru, who calmly took her cell phone away and turned the speaker on.

"Sesshomaru, this isn't funny."

"Oh, believe me Kagura, it is."

She looked around and she could notice that everyone was having a hard time to not laugh out loud. Maybe it was because of the tension, or the accumulation of stress of the last few hours, but whatever it was it finally broke their common sense and they began to laugh as if there was not a tomorrow. It was good, definitely good to laugh as crazy maniacs and not to fall down and cry like desperate people. Everyone, even Kagura, began to laugh hysterically.

After some embarrassing moments for the red eyed girl, finally they could hear Abi and Haku's voices through the phone.

"I'm glad to see that you're all right. We just got back from our second honey moon, taking advantage of neither of the girls being here, but when we saw this morning's news they published a report of the building were Kagome and her family were living. It was completely destroyed and the van you had rented was totally burned. They didn't find bodies but we couldn't help but worry."

"It was Naraku. He sent a group of warrior Slaves to destroy us."

"How do you know that?" Haku asked, with a serious tone of voice. "Do you guys have any proof?"

"No. Well, my mom was there earlier but…" Kagome then looked at her mother, who was sitting over a rock in the cave, and she shook her head.

"Naraku wasn't there. It was just a group of Slaves who entered the house and began to destroy it all, demanding me to tell them where you were. Shippo managed to fool them and get us out of there before something bad happened to us."

"Without any proof I'm afraid there's not so much what we can do."

"Stupid government!" yelled Sango, gaining lots of weird looks. "Ok, stupid police… or stupid whoever had invented that stupid and foolish thing that if someone attacks you and you have no proof to demonstrate who it was, you lose no matter what."

"I think someone needs to get her breakfast," said Miroku, smiling at the others. "When she's hungry she gets all crazy."

"I heard you, idiot monk!"

"You see?"

"Guys, guys, we're not discussing that. The important thing right now is for you to find a shelter or return to your homes and make sure you're safe."

"What they must do Mrs. Abi, is to leave now and let us handle this."

"Inuyasha's right. Kagura, it's better for you, Kanna and Sesshomaru to just return home."

"But mother! They're my friends, I can't-!"

"No buts, Kagura. I want you here at home in an hour, maximum. Sesshomaru, that's an order, even if she says otherwise. You must bring her home."

"So it will be, Sir," spoke the taiyoukai, with a slightly resigned voice.

"All right, if there are no more objections, we'll be waiting to hear news about you, Inuyasha, Kagome, Mrs. Higurashi… I'm sorry for your loss, if there's anything we can do…"

"Oh! Don't worry, we have enough money to find a new place to live, that's not a problem."

"Fine then. See you later, guys."

And the phone fell silent.

"All right, then what will we do?"

And just then everyone remembered that Totousai and Myoga were still there.

* * *

><p>After a few more discussions, orders that began to contradict themselves and more scolding from a hungry Sango, finally, Inuyasha and the Higurashi family managed to send everyone towards their homes. Totousai would go with Sesshomaru since he firmly said that they needed to talk. Kouga went home with Ayame, and Miroku was the one who had it worst since he would have to bear with an angry and hungry Sango who was only convinced to leave when they swore to her that they would keep her informed of their moves.<p>

"… I think I know where we can ask for help," spoke Kikyo, after a while of being walking inside the forest, not willing to go back to the main road, to avoid the risk of being spotted or seeing the remnants of the building.

"As long as we don't have to walk so much, young lady…"

"Don't complain, Old Myoga. I'm the one carrying you."

"That's why, young Inuyasha. I don't want to be a bother to you."

"I'm really sorry, Mister Myoga… because of us your home is now-"

"Oh, my little Kagome, don't worry. It was just a house."

Finally they got out into a clearing, near a rich neighborhood. From where they were standing they could see the immense gardens of every single house, all of them really beautiful. Kikyo, without doubts, and not looking at anything else, began to move forward to one of the houses.

"So this is where you always came, dear?"

"That's right, aunt. I- Well, I made everyone believe that I lived in one of these houses. As I said to you before… money and that stuff… and well, the house from where I came out has a side garden with a broken wall. I entered the house from that part and then used to go out from the main entrance."

"Hey, this place-"

"Hold on, Inuyasha. Kikyo, did you ever think that's burglary and you could have been accused or incarcerated?" scolded Kagome, ignoring Inuyasha's sudden looks around them.

"To tell the truth, yes I did. But this house in particular… I had been going out from there for some time ago when I found a note taped to the side wall. It said that as long as I never damaged or mistreated her garden, it wouldn't be any problem if I passed through it."

"Wow, then the owner of that place should have known what you were doing and gave you permission." Mrs. Higurashi smiled at the confidence of this person, who she supposed they were now heading to ask for help.

"Emm… Kikyo, are you sure where are you going? I mean… it's here, you sure?"

"Of course, Inuyasha. It's this way."

Finally they found the house. It was a majestic mansion. The side wall, as Kikyo had said, was destroyed, as if someone had punched it lots of time until one part of it was broken. They entered the garden and they could see lots of beautiful flowers, roses, tulips, sunflowers, exotic flowers, fountains and birdbaths scattered all over the place. They were vines climbing over the four floors of the old house in front of them. The air around it was stately. It was as a big and noble mansion.

"Oh Lord, no…" the half-demon stopped in his tracks and stared at Kikyo, with an incredulous look.

"What is it, Inuyasha?" Shippo approached the man, noticing his nervousness and looked all around, feeling scared. But everything seemed normal.

"Kikyo… out of all the houses, on the whole country, in all the rich neighborhoods around the whole town, you had to choose _this_ one?"

"What's wrong with it? You're making me nervous." Kikyo turned pale and looked around her, fearing that at any moment Naraku would appear from behind a bush with a knife to attack them.

"What's wrong, Inuyasha?" Kagome was the next one to approach the hanyou, and then looked at Myoga, who, over his back, looked just as confused and scared as everyone else.

"It's just that this place-"

"Oh, my! Israel! Long time, no see!"


	18. Visits

**_Author Notes: _**_First of all: Yeeeey! My beta reader answered me and she's willing to continue helping me! X3 Also I received a PM from another person who will also try to help me too ^^ thank you! =) ok, on the story today we'll learn who is the person living at this place, but I think you already discovered that hehehe and also we'll know what happened in the past thanks to Totousai. I must say this scene was originally in the next chapter, but when I wrote it I made a mistake in the timeline, so here's corrected. I hope you enjoy it ^^ _

_Also we'll visit (that's why this chapter's title is named for) to someone from two years ago. This chapter was written at November 2 of 2010, Day of the Dead here at my country where we have a tradition of make honor to all the death and loved ones who passed away. I hope you enjoy it._

_Sorry for not update last Wednesday and Friday. I got flu ~_~U I swear this fanfic has a curse or something, always something is happening that prevents me to translate the chapters on schedule, if while being healthy I have troubles with English, imagine my poor brain while having flu ~_~U_

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><p><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: Besides the plot line, I don't own anything. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Yomiuri TV Corporation. I'm not getting any profit from this story; this was just made for fun.

**Warning**: Maybe there is bad language? I'm not so sure what you consider bad language... ^^U

**Thanks to: **My beta reader, PandaStarz, for her wonderful work on this chapter.

* * *

><p><strong>Slavery.<strong>

**Author: **MikoAucarod

**Chapter 18: Visits.**

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><p>"Oh, my!Israel! Long time no see!" They heard an older woman's voice which made all of them jump from the surprise and turn towards the house, with their nerves about to crack.<p>

Professor Kaede was standing at the door leading towards a dinning room, smiling sadly, but with relief.

"Lady Kaede? What are you doing here?" Kagome asked while walking towards her. In return, she hugged the young girl.

"Well, my child… I live here." Kaede let go of Kagome and went towards Mrs. Higurashi, hugging her also. Shippo, who was sitting on her shoulders, was kind of surprised at seeing Kagome's teacher in a place like this. "You have no idea how worried I've been for you. And I'm so sorry too. I just saw the news. The police sirens, firefighters and ambulances didn't stop ringing all night."

After saying this she approached Kikyo, who was in extreme shock, and repeated the gesture with her, too. The young girl was confused while returning Kaede's embrace. What was her teacher doing at this very rich neighborhood?

"When I saw that the building that had been destroyed was the one of the apartments where you lived I- oh my boys, for a moment I thought that all of you had died." Then she hugged Inuyasha, who only managed to put his hands on her shoulders.

"Well… we're all fine, old Kaede," said the hanyou, when she let him go. Myoga was standing behind him and was signaled by Inuyasha. "Fortunately, the only ones living there were us and other two people, we all got out of there without any problems." He didn't want to trouble the old woman with the whole story of what had happened.

"Thank heavens…" Finally, Kaede looked at Myoga and bowing, with a smile, she introduced herself. "It's a pleasure, sir, my name is Kaede, and I'm this beautiful young lady's teacher."

"The pleasure is all mine, miss." The old man bowed the same way Kaede did and smiled calmly. "I'm Myoga; I was the neighbor of this good family."

"Miss?" Shippo whispered at Mrs. Higurashi. "But she's already so old…"

"My love, no matter the age, if a woman remains single, she continues to be called 'miss'," explained Kagome's mother, with a smile on her face. Oh, Shippo and the things he says!

* * *

><p>"Now I understand. You're right; you made the right decision to let everyone else to return to their homes," spoke Kaede, a few hours later. They were all in her living room, drinking some tea that Inuyasha had made when Kaede said that she would prepare something to drink. Old habits die hard.<p>

Lady Kaede insisted that they should stay with her at her house. After all she lived alone and the only times she went out was to go to the school and teach her students, so having them stay there wasn't a problem. Despite the warnings that everyone else had given her, mostly from Kikyo, telling her that it wouldn't be safe if someone discovered they lived with her, the old woman had given them a clear 'no' when they suggested searching for another place to live. Finally, gratefully, they accepted the stay there.

"You are at great risk and if you go out and attract more people's attention it will not stop this madman from coming after you. Actually, it was also on the news, Naraku's escape. Apparently there was an explosion and a part of the state prison collapsed. In the middle of the tumult, Naraku and other prisoners managed to escape.

"Somehow he managed to contact someone from the outside and that way Bankotsu and his men went to get him out."

"That's right,Israel, I also think that's what happened."

"What a mess…" whispered Kikyo, with her head resting on top of her hands. "I wish this could just end right now."

"Easy, Kikyo. We'll fix this and we'll get out of all this, you'll see." Kagome assured her, placing her arm around the girl's shoulder. At the contact, Kikyo let her head rest on her cousin's shoulder.

After more chat, Kaede showed them the rest of the house. Indeed it was a mansion, lots of rooms, corridors and doors were everywhere and Kagome couldn't help but wonder how she managed to live by herself at this house. It had at least 6 floors and the more they walked, the more she felt she could get lost. Kaede told them that the land was an old one and before hers it was from her parents, who inherited in the late 20's and before that from her grandparents, and so on. Kagome did not have words to describe the magnificence of the house. It could be an apartment complex itself!

* * *

><p>Inuyasha was now in his own room, the same one that had been his for over 60 years. He was contemplating from the fourth floor the view in front of him. Before, he had never appreciated it because he had been sealed in his own world of suffering. The view towards the mountain was beautiful and if they were indeed farther away than before, it wasn't so much. The forest, just a couple of hundred meters away from them and the lights of the city far beyond the horizon, made a great view.<p>

"It's a nice landscape, right?" Kagome asked, quietly approaching the boy, who only managed to nod.

"It is. In all those years I spent living in here, I never appreciated this place. It was another prison to me in the beginning… after all, Kaede's father had bought us as Slaves for her. And even when she was an angel to us we were so hurt… it hasn't been long enough for the four of us to really feel accustomed to the situation of being Slaves."

"When we got here, you looked so nervous…"

"Yeah. I never liked this place. I was the one who always had to clean and arrange the garden when Kaede's family was living. Her mother was a very vain woman and her father was addicted to his job… they had all the money in the world, as you can see by looking at this house. Kaede lives in a very rich neighborhood but all those material goods, money and toys that they bought for her every day… they were only because neither her father or her mother were really there for her. They bought her affection with those objects."

Kagome observed how Inuyasha kept his gaze fixed at some point of the garden so she looked too. There was a tree surrounded by many rose bushes, all in bloom, thanks to the zone's climate.

"When I saw the garden it brought back lots of memories, from when I spent whole days fixing it. It was hell. Gardening is good, but it isn't when you had that woman ordering you to do everything at least four or five times until she was satisfied… yet…"

They heard a noise and both of them looked to their left. Lady Kaede was walking calmly, speaking with Old Myoga, wandering around the garden. For both of them that peaceful scent between the plants and flowers should be healthy, even more for the poor old man who had just lived through so many bad experiences.

"… Whenever I saw 'Little Kaede' running among the plants, asking me to give her a bouquet of the most beautiful roses and flowers that I could find or just thanking me for always keeping everything so pretty so that she could play… I think that made her mother's craziness worth it," finished the half demon, smiling tenderly towards the old lady, who after feeling that she was being watched, looked up and saw them, smiling then and waving her hand to proceed later with her walk.

"None of the guys helped you?" asked Kagome after a moment, wondering what kind of people could Kaede's parents have been and staring amazed at how her kind and lovely teacher hadn't become rotten like them.

"They had to clean the interior of the house. I guess that since I'm the one with a bigger animal resemblance, Kaede's mother commanded me to clean outside."

"You're not an animal, Inuyasha."

"She didn't think that way." Inuyasha smiled, making her understand that it didn't matter to him what that woman had ever thought. "Kouga used to say that if it weren't for us, Kaede would be worse than her parents right now, because of all that materialism… but no, Kaede grew up always being simple and humble, so to speak. She's also very sentimental and she lives in this enormous house and with all her luxurious furniture and extravagant gardens not because she likes it, neither because she feels important for having it… it's just that this-"

"…This is the only thing her parents could give her as a proof of their love for her," Kagome interrupted, understanding everything.

"A love that they never learned how to express, but yeah. It's exactly that." Inuyasha observed the girl beside him and then hugged her, noticing how her aura had suddenly become sad and full of pity. "They didn't hate her. It's just that they didn't know better. They never managed to understand and live the adventure of having a family."

They spent a couple of minutes that way, looking at the sunset and the old lady talking with Myoga about her garden, some rare plants that grew up there and other stuff. It was clear that they would be really good friends.

"Inuyasha would you ever…"

"What's the matter, Kagome?" Inuyasha asked, after a moment of silence when he noticed that she didn't finished her sentence.

"No. It's nothing, Inuyasha."

"What's wrong?" The young Slave wanted to know what had upset her. For a moment she had radiated an aura of… longing? But then it had turned into one of sadness and… fearfulness. He didn't like that.

"No, nothing's wrong, Inuyasha. I'll go downstairs to see if I can help make dinner."

And without allowing him to object on the subject, Kagome ran out of the room.

* * *

><p>"All right. Speak," Sesshomaru ordered, observing the old man in front of him. They were now at Kagura's parent's house. Fortunately, nothing had happened to them since they had left the cave. They could go out of the house and do their activities without the feeling of being followed or threatened.<p>

For the first time he had to admit that Inuyasha was right when he said that Naraku's objective was only Kikyo, if not her entire family.

"Sesshomaru, the ages of hostility ended a couple of centuries ago…" Totousai answered, sitting in the living room with a hot tea cup between his hands.

"Where's Rin?" was the direct question of the former Lord. Totousai noted with surprise the desperate note hidden in the taiyoukai's eyes.

"Well she… it's a long story but-"

"I have waited over 500 years to hear anything from her. I have all the time of the world"

With shame, Totousai looked down and then, after a long sigh he began his story.

"After that night when Jaken, Ah-un and Rin – a very depressed Rin – came to my home in the mountains I knew that something terrible had happened. Jaken told me what had happened at the palace and both of us were afraid that you could be dead. But since your order had been to meet us at Ryukotsei's and the priority was to protect Rin, we went towards his valley."

It was Sesshomaru's turn to stare at the floor. He had never managed to get into that valley…

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><p>"Lord Jaken, it's been so many days, why isn't my father coming for me?" The little girl asked, for a countless time that day.<p>

"Maybe something is keeping him busy, young Rin" was the answer of the old youkai, who was staring at the landscape from the cave where they were hiding.

It was then that some sort of giant sea dragon appeared in front of the entrance to the small cave, which was hundreds of feet above the ground, hidden in the mountains.

"There's still no trace, Jaken," spoke Ryukotsei, letting them see his human face over the big dragon's one. Totousai, who was sitting at his back, was staring at the horizon.

"I'm beginning to fear that he didn't make it" was the old man's comment, making Jaken indignant.

"We're speaking of the Great Lord Sesshomaru! Lord of the East Lands! He can't be defeated by just a couple of humans!"

"They weren't only a few… they were thousands of them."

Jaken fell silent then, looking at Rin who had finally fallen asleep.

"The only thing we can do is wait. We must protect Rin until Sesshomaru returns," spoke Ryukotsei, getting ready to mount guard in that dangerous era.

* * *

><p>Totousai stared at his cup of tea and then observed towards Sesshomaru, who had his eyes fixed on the chimney of the living room.<p>

"A year passed since then… and you never showed up," the old youkai stared at Sesshomaru's neck, where he wore the shackle. The stone inside of it was a crystal blue color. "We assumed you had died but when Jaken and I went to investigate, while we left Rin under Ryukotsei's protection, we never found your body or Kouga's. The other corpses had already a year and a half rotting when we finally went to look for you."

"Just…" Sesshomaru closed his eyes, tired. He didn't want to know what had happened to anybody else, he wasn't interested in knowing who else had died on that fateful day… he just… "Just talk me about Rin… what happened to her?"

"You speak as if you believed that you can still find her, Sesshom-"

"Don't play with me!" The taiyoukai finally exclaimed, standing up and hitting the coffee table with his fists. His eyes flashed red which wasn't a good thing. "I'm very well aware that she was just a human! With luck she could have lived until her 50s or 60s in that era. I trusted that by being protected by you she could manage to survive until her 80 years old. For a fucking moment I thought that if there was a God somewhere and he was benevolent, he would allow her to live 100 years for me to find her! But I never could! So now all I want to know is what the hell happened to her! What happened to my only daughter?"

"The thing is… I don't really know what happened to her…" That phrase made Sesshomaru freeze in his place and stare at Totousai with shock. It was frightening to see that. "There was a time when we were moving to another hiding spot – you know how dangerous it was to be at the same place for a long time – and three years after you had vanished, when she was eight years old, we were ambushed. It was group of hungry youkai. I stayed behind to protect Jaken and Rin so they could escape, but I couldn't stop them all. Some of them managed to pass me and went behind them. Ryukotsei wasn't with us at that moment, he traveled from the very deep forests of the mountains – it wasn't easy to hide him, if you ask me – and, when I finished the fight and went to look after them, I found Jaken, dead."

Sesshomaru's eyes widened with surprise and stared more intently towards the old youkai. He was still standing and could feel his knees almost begin to shake. Almost.

"Then… Rin was also-?"

"Don't know. I never could find her scent or her body. If she wasn't eaten by those youkai, she probably managed to escape. There was a river near the area. I still hope that she had used it to hide her scent from them. After all, she was a very smart girl… but, as you said, it's impossible that she survived longer than 100 years. I kept looking for her always but I couldn't find her. I searched everywhere, the forests, the mountains, clans and even some human villages… whatever happened to her at that moment, I have no idea. But Rin is no longer in this world."

It was then they heard sobs at the other side of the door leading to the dinning room. Sesshomaru walked towards it and opened it. At the other side, Kagura was kneeling, hugging her mother and crying as silently as she could, but he could tell she was devastated.

"You heard everything" was the statement of the taiyoukai. Abi simply nodded and smiled with shame.

"We were coming to bring you some snacks but… well… that's how things are," the woman answered, comforting her daughter.

Sesshomaru looked behind him and, after a soft whisper of "Thank you" to Totousai, he went out of the room after placing his hand over Kagura's head for a moment, who kept crying and hugging her mother.

* * *

><p>Since then, their lives returned to a relatively normal course. It seemed that Naraku really believed that they were dead.<p>

Kaede, Myoga and Mrs. Higurashi got along pretty well and they were always seen together having tea or chatting at the living room or walking around the gardens.

Because of the risks that were still present no matter what, Kaede spoke about it at their old school and now she was responsible for tutoring both Kikyo and Kagome at home so they could continue with their studies. They had managed to graduate from middle school and high school was just about to start, they couldn't get behind their other classmates.

Shippo was happy to have those huge gardens and it was common to see him running from one place to another, arranging flowers and sometimes cleaning some of the water fountains of the place. That kid definitely loved the fresh air that they could breathe around the mansion.

At first, Inuyasha had been apprehensive about returning to that place… he never really could call it home because of Kaede's parents. But he had to accept in the end that when they had died and Kaede had been named the owner of the entire property, things had improved very well. It was only a matter of time of becoming accustomed again to their new home.

And so, things went like that for a while.

* * *

><p>Before Inuyasha could realize, it was already November. They had gone through Halloween – or, as he liked to call it: 'Another date to spend money and be capitalist' - without major problems and that day was the 'Day of the Dead', a celebration that had a very curious tradition in American countries, more specifically, if he could recall right, inMexico. Lady Kaede and Kagome's family turned out to like that tradition, in which you honored your dead ones with altars, sugar skulls, traditional sweets and other curious things that were always very respectful. It wasn't a game.<p>

Personally, he preferred that date than the Halloween one – even though it was fun dressing as a vampire or something like that and scaring children by showing them his fangs, claws and ears – but at least this holiday had some air of unity and familiarity.

He just hoped that this date would never turn into a marketing one, too.

"Hurry up, Inuyasha, Kagome. We can't lose so much time."

"Almost done here, mom!" could be heard from one of the rooms.

"Aw! Kagome, be more careful! That needle almost pierced my head!"

"I already told you this is not a needle, Inuyasha. They're hair clips and if you could just sit still I could place this wig on you without problems."

"Keh! I don't even know why do we have to wear these stupid clothes…"

"Do I look stupid to you?"

Kagome was wearing a red and curly wig that fell halfway to her shoulders. She wore a simple black dress and had makeup to make her skin look a little paler than usual. It was the perfect disguise. If not for her scent, Inuyasha would never have guessed it was her if he had seen her walking around the streets.

"You don't look stupid…" he finally admitted, sighing irritably. "But this isn't you." He concluded, furrowing while looking at the dark haired wig that she was trying to adjust over his previously combed and braided hair without hurting his ears. That day, again, he had to pretend to be an ordinary human and Kaede had to buy him a new shirt with a turtleneck.

"That's the point, Inuyasha," said Kagome, resuming her work. "If we want to go out, nobody can recognize us, we don't know if Naraku has spies around the city, what if he discovers that we're still alive? We'll pretend to be Lady Kaede's nephews and nieces and we will be able to go to the cemetery without any problems… Mom may be overreacting with all this but it never hurts. Now, stay still."

"All right, all right." And Inuyasha had to endure that uncomfortable position – sitting hunched – for a few more minutes.

* * *

><p>"There you are, finally. Was it so hard to dress yourselves?" Mrs. Higurashi asked. She wore a brown wig that reached to her shoulders and her arms were holding Shippo who, after several failed attempts to know what to do with his tail, had being dressed as a baby. His tail would pass as a stuffed animal or a pillow.<p>

"Well, more like it was Inuyasha who complained about all this, but I managed to finish his costume."

"Are you ready? Lady Kaede looks a little anxious to leave," asked Kikyo, peering through the door of the hall. Contrary to Kagome, she wore a wig that barely reached the back of her neck. It was curly and that helped to hide the long braids that she had to do with her hair to hide her black hair inside of it. Her wig had an ebony color.

"We can go now," Mrs. Higurashi announced. She prayed internally that everything went well.

They climbed into the car that Lady Kaede had bought not so long ago – at this, Inuyasha was truly surprised. She had _never_ wanted to have a car – and they headed towards the city. After a couple of hours travelling they finally reached their destination. It was a cemetery that wasn't so large but it was full of people who came that day to honor their dead ones.

"I don't understand why we came with the old lady to visit her parents grave if it's none of our concern…" Inuyasha asked Kagome, while walking among the crowd.

Kagome, who had bought a flower bouquet, gently shook her head.

"It's not because of her that we came here, Inuyasha."

"It isn't? Then why-?" The young half demon cut his sentence when he noticed that Mrs. Higurashi was walking in front of them, guiding Kikyo towards one direction while Kaede took another path completely different. Myoga stood in front of them and smiled gently.

"All right, young ones. I'll accompany Miss Kaede to visit her parent's grave. We will meet you at the entrance later."

"Sure, be careful, Mister Myoga," spoke Kagome, walking then behind her mother. Inuyasha followed her, a little confused.

Finally, they stopped in front of a grave, which received a shadow thanks to one of the trees in the area. Compared to the other ones that had decorations, roofs, or were really elaborate, this was humble, simple, with a curved stone and two vases at both sides, made of stone too.

The tombstone read:

_Here lies Souji Higurashi._

_"Loving husband, friend, confidant and father."_

Inuyasha looked with confusion at the tombstone for a few seconds and then his eyes widened with surprise.

"His remains…" was the only thing he could whisper. Mrs. Higurashi observed him and then, smiling, gently took his hand, which caused him to jump, having been taken out of this thoughts and memories so suddenly.

"If it wasn't for you, Inuyasha, we couldn't ever have this place where we finally could leave his body to rest without any disturbance. Thanks to you he's now at peace. I'm grateful to you for that."

At those words, Inuyasha could only stare the grave before him.

He didn't know how time passed, neither did he know how long the Higurashi family and Shippo prayed. He didn't even notice when Kagome had cleaned the grave and placed some flowers there. He was just conscious of the noise of the wind around him and the vision of the tomb in front of him.

Souji... so that was Kagome's father's name. That was the name of the person that had begged him to help him die.

"He's already fine, Inuyasha," he heard Kagome's whisper. She took his hand and placed her head against his chest. "You did great, he's already calm. He's resting in peace."

Inuyasha nodded, still feeling a bit strange. Was he sad? No, he wasn't. It was a weird sensation… it was… relief? He was relieved knowing that his remains hadn't been entirely abandoned at that filthy alley. He was relieved because, if only his corpse, his family had been able to see him one last time. He was relieved because they had managed to say goodbye to him.

"Are you all right, Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, afraid that maybe bringing him there could have been too much for him. Thankfully, the young man squeezed her hand and smiled at her, calmly.

"Everything's all right, Kagome," he whispered, hugging her and then kissing her forehead, as he used to do when he felt the need to protecting her. He was making a promise at that moment to her father. He would protect Kagome from anything that could happen to them from now on.

But at least, for the time being…

Everything was all right.


	19. I'm nothing more than a Slave

**_Author Notes: _**_First of all: Yeeeey! My beta reader answered me and she's willing to continue helping me! X3 Also I received a PM from another person who will also try to help me too ^^ thank you! =) ok, on the story today we'll learn who is the person living at this place, but I think you already discovered that hehehe and also we'll know what happened in the past thanks to Totousai. I must say this scene was originally in the next chapter, but when I wrote it I made a mistake in the timeline, so here's corrected. I hope you enjoy it ^^ _

_Also we'll visit (that's why this chapter's title is named for) to someone from two years ago. This chapter was written at November 2 of 2010, Day of the Dead here at my country where we have a tradition of make honor to all the death and loved ones who passed away. I hope you enjoy it._

_Sorry for not update last Wednesday and Friday. I got flu ~_~U I swear this fanfic has a curse or something, always something is happening that prevents me to translate the chapters on schedule, if while being healthy I have troubles with English, imagine my poor brain while having flu ~_~U_

* * *

><p><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: Besides the plot line, I don't own anything. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Yomiuri TV Corporation. I'm not getting any profit from this story; this was just made for fun.

**Warning**: Maybe there is bad language? I'm not so sure what you consider bad language... ^^U

**Thanks to: **My beta reader, PandaStarz, for her wonderful work on this chapter.

* * *

><p><strong>Slavery.<strong>

**Author: **MikoAucarod

**Chapter 19: I'm nothing more than a Slave.**

* * *

><p>"Unbelievable, I cannot believe that even though classes have begun and despite the fact that you have your teacher at home, you're already behind in your studies."<p>

"These subjects are really hard, Inuyasha. I'd like to see you try to study high school work; let's see if _you_ think it's funny."

"Keh! I don't need to study all that crap…" Inuyasha looked around him. They were in Kagome's bedroom, which had a beautiful view of the garden. In fact it was the room next to his. If he recalled correctly, this room had belonged to Miroku, that's why it had a desk and bookshelves filled with lots of books and scrolls. It was a good place to concentrate and study… not that Kagome was willing to make an effort in doing so, though.

Every five minutes, the young girl would stretch, get distracted, and get up to get a glass of water or just to get out of the room. That's why Mrs. Higurashi had kindly ordered Inuyasha to watch her and make sure that she kept studying. It had been the only way to make Kagome read up to four pages of her notes.

"It's not as if I needed that, anyway," whispered the half-demon, with a note of melancholy in his voice, which made Kagome look at him, confused.

"Everyone deserves to have education, Inuyasha. Besides, this could help you in your future. When you get a job or if you want to buy your own house you'll need money and to have money you'll need a good-"

"I'm a Slave, Kagome," the boy reminded her, placing his hand on her head and making her turn again towards the book. "Sorry about that, it's because of your mom's order. As I was saying, I'm a Slave. Slaves don't have jobs, don't have their own homes, they don't have a life. Heck, I can't even grow old. I've been 18 years old for the past 500 years."

"Yeah… you're right, I guess you don't grow old…"

At that moment Inuyasha noticed that something was wrong. Kagome didn't attempt to avoid her homework and neither of them spoke for a couple of hours. The hanyou realized his mistake. He was with Kagome. You could say they were some kind of couple – the term 'boyfriend and girlfriend' sounded accurate, but he had never really asked her to be his girlfriend – but if he loved her and she loved him, didn't that made them a couple already? Weren't they dating?

The question was stuck on his tongue, and Inuyasha did everything he could to stop himself from asking her. It would be so embarrassing!

But going back to his line of thought, he had hurt Kagome with his words. Again. Somehow he was binding her to a life with him and he could never do anything for her. He was discriminated on the streets,—heck, if they knew he was a Slave he couldn't even go to the Movies!—he had no education or anything like that and much less could he ever get a job. He couldn't even…

He wouldn't grow up with her. In five more years she would be three years older than him. That wasn't so much, but soon she would turn out into an old woman like Kaede. She would have 70, 80 years. If she got lucky she could get to her 90th birthday… and he would remain a volatile young man of 18 years.

What had he done?

"… Do you regret this?" Kagome asked suddenly, not taking her eyes off of her book, waking him up from his dark thoughts.

"… Maybe I do." Kagome had entirely read his mind.

"Is not as if I cared about that, Inuyasha. I love you for who you are. I knew about the consequences of being together… but it seems I didn't think about the future as well as I believed I had."

"What do you mean?" asked the hanyou, noticing how Kagome kept reading the book so she wouldn't have to force him to her mother's order. But he was sure that Kagome's attention was entirely focused on him.

"The other day I—well, when I saw Lady Kaede and Mister Myoga walking together inside the garden… I thought for a second: "I would love it if Inuyasha and I could be like that in the future. Two grown old people, laughing about the life, without worries… maybe… maybe even with our own family…"

Inuyasha's eyes widened with surprise and recognition. He remembered that she had wanted to say something to him but at the last minute she hadn't said anything. Had it been that?

"… I…I realized at that moment that it will never be that way… if something similar came to be it would be an Old Kagome, walking beside the same person I have at my side. You'll look exactly as you do now, won't you?" Kagome never lifted her gaze from the book, but her voice broke. Inuyasha could only nod.

"Kagome… I made a terrible mistake when I allowed you and your family to enter my life. If I just- If only I had stayed firm and not allowed myself to show any emotion, I wouldn't be making you suffer like this. I didn't think, I just… I'm so selfish," said the half-demon while lowering his gaze and clenching his fists.

"Maybe we both are." At this, Inuyasha looked up again and stared at her back. "Despite it all I want to live the rest of my life alongside you. But Inuyasha, I suffer, and it's not for me… I suffer for you." The hanyou could only stare at her in confusion; why was she suffering for him? "Even if we…" Kagome fell silent and turned the page of her book. A blush appeared on her cheeks. "Even if we… well… we had a family… you would see them all pass away one by one and… it's not fair. I don't think it's fair to you, but… I really want to have a family with you."

In the silence that followed, Kagome didn't dare to look up and kept reading. She watched him out of the corner of her eye as Inuyasha moved to take a seat in the chair next to her. After a few minutes, he began to move slightly as if he were thinking on something. After several more torturous moments of silence, Inuyasha finally stood up again and hugged Kagome from behind.

"The most wonderful thing that life could give me would be to see my children grow up and have you at my side…" He began to whisper, close to her ear and with his gaze lost on some part of the desk. "Of course I want to have a family too, Kagome. Even though I don't know if I'll be able to have my own because of my condition but… you said it, I may have you for over 80 or 90 years. But then I would lose you, just as I lost my father when he tried to defend us from a horde of youkai when I was just a pup. Just as I lost my mother who could never get over the grief of losing him. Over time I would lose you, my children, my grandchildren… damn, I could go on with my great, great, great grandchildren and still things won't ever change to me. That's why I never wanted anything like that for fear of losing them. That's why I was like that, rude, selfish and cold, even with the guys. I couldn't afford to open up to anyone else. It wasn't only the abuse from other people… my own fears had a lot to do with that…"

Kagome began to sob, placing her hands on Inuyasha's arms.

"But you know… it's thanks to you that I've learned that running away from that is the same or more painful. Spending an eternity watching my family growing up, expanding, being there to greet the newcomers and always being a part of them in some kind of way would make me feel special…" Inuyasha's voice broke off and he buried his face in Kagome's neck. After a deep sigh, he continued. "On the other hand… having to spend a whole eternity in solitude again… I…" Inuyasha cursed in his mind. Why those damn tears refused to be sealed inside his eyes? "Kagome… I don't think I could stand it again."

That was it. Kagome suddenly stood up and, turning around, hugged Inuyasha fiercely. She needed to feel him there with her. She needed to make him realize he wasn't alone. He needed her. Inuyasha returned the embrace with the same strength and after just a second he could hear some whispers coming from Kagome.

"…6=12, 2x7=14… Damn, I hate my mom right now… 2x8=16, 2x9=18… I swear if I don't do this the shackle could hurt you… 2x10=20, 2x11=22… I'm still studying something, crap… 2x12=24, 2x13=26…"

Inuyasha half smiled and placed her head against his shoulder. Lord, how he loved her!

He knew it would be difficult… of course he knew it but just as he managed to be with Kagome, he knew he could go through all that.

Kagome kept whispering multiplication tables the whole night.

* * *

><p>"Sure you want to go by yourselves, my dear? Lady Kaede and Myoga could-"<p>

"No, mom. Lady Kaede's car is broken and they couldn't keep up the whole way back with the groceries. Besides, is not like Naraku sent his minions to the center of the city, right?" Kagome continued with her hard work of braid the hair of Inuyasha in order to place a dark hair wig. She had discovered that even with his dark hair and brown eyes he looked really sexy and almost as if he was an ordinary human. – If only it weren't so difficult to make him wear the contact lenses!

"You can't know that" was Inuyasha's answer, who felt the slight rub of the brush dangerously close to his sensitive ear and he almost instinctively pressed it against his skull, making Kagome laugh. She was now wearing a red color wig with soft curls at the end of it. It ended almost at the middle of her arms.

"Inuyasha, you're not helping. I need to leave the house once in a while. I'm not sure about you, but I'm almost entirely certain that I've become claustrophobic."

"Your overreacting, Kagome," scoffed Inuyasha, with a half smile on his face.

It took them a while to convince Mrs. Higurashi, then Shippo and then Kikyo who kept saying that they would go with them. Then once they convinced them to stay at home, Kaede and Myoga began to lecture them – they almost seemed like their own grandparents! – but in the end they managed to get to the Center of the City without any trouble and were now buying the supplies that were needed at home.

When they walked in front of a restaurant, behind the glass window they could see Sesshomaru, Kagura and Kanna sitting at a table. Sesshomaru felt their gazes and turned around. When he looked directly at the couple, after a couple of seconds, he made a movement with his head telling them to enter.

"How did you recognize us?" Inuyasha asked, once they were standing next to their seats.

"Your scent. You're lucky that Naraku and his minions are all human. You shouldn't be outside."

"That color suits you very well, Kag," spoke Kagura, glad to be able to see her friend for the first time in a long time.

"And what are you doing here?"

"Oh, Kanna is now a fourth year student from the elementary school and before we hadn't had the chance to go out and celebrate with her. My mother has been hysterical about what happened and just recently she began to calm down.

"But I'm not happy…" pouted the small child. – "My best friend didn't pass last year like I did, even though her grades were good. And to make it worse, Hiroko told me that her mother was going to transfer her to another school…"

"Oh, Kanna." Kagome patted her head. "You can always see her on another time, right? Don't worry. You can invite her over to your house or something."

Kanna shook her head sadly.

"I don't even have her phone number, e-mail or anything. I don't even know where she lives. She never gave me any information because she said that her mother didn't allow her to do it… not even with her friends."

"That kid keeps lots of secrets, if you ask me," spoke Inuyasha, stealing a piece of the hamburger that Sesshomaru had been eating.

"Don't be paranoid, Inuyasha."

"Also… Mister Sesshomaru is afraid of her."

That comment made everyone stare at Kanna with disbelief.

"It's true!" she insisted when she noted how they were looking at her. "That time when he came to pick me up to the school and I came out with Hiroko. Mister Sesshomaru seemed scared when he saw her."

"I wasn't scared. She surprised me. That's all…" spoke Sesshomaru, looking out through the window.

He remembered her now. That girl had resembled his dearest daughter, Rin, so much. That's why he had been surprised. He could almost have confused them but… she hadn't made any sign of recognition when she saw him and he had to remind himself that Rin had been a human… it was just impossible.

Kagura noticed how his eyes began to look haunted and so she quickly changed the topic.

* * *

><p>"And this is the last one." Kagome finished placing the bags of the supermarket between her arms and began walking alongside Inuyasha, who was carrying way more bags than Kagome.<p>

It was getting dark and because of the chat with Kagura and Sesshomaru they had lost track of time. The sky began to get clouded, and soon, thunder could be heard. It wasn't long before a heavy storm fell over the city. Inuyasha took the rest of the groceries bags and carried Kagome on his back in order to search refuge. To reach home they would need to cross the open field and the main road and that wasn't possible with this weather. That was the only bad thing about living so apart from the city.

They came to an alley that, thanks to several balconies of the buildings that formed it, was relatively dry compared to the streets.

Kagome got down from Inuyasha's back and took off her wig, which was soaked, and shook her long hair, trying to remove the excess of water from it.

Then, everything happened so suddenly.

Before Inuyasha could react, seven people appeared in the alley and attacked him. Kagome faced a similar fate when she was caught by a person who wrapped his arm around her neck and pointed a gun at her forehead with his other hand.

They could only hear thunder, the heavy rain hitting the pavement and Inuyasha's yells at their attackers. He was trying to get close to Kagome and defend her but no matter what movement he made, a new hit or someone pushing him came from any side. It was a perfect ambush.

A flash of lightning illuminated the alley enough for a few seconds and that made Inuyasha freeze. Kagome was being held by Naraku and he was ready to shoot her, yet when Naraku recognized who she was, he lost his look of triumph.

"You're not Kikyo," he spoke, irritated, and rolled his eyes. "This is disappointing."

Bankotsu, taking advantage of Inuyasha's state, tackled him from behind and made him fall with a thud. Kyokotsu then, a muscular man who was over six feet tall and Suikotsu, a man with a sadic face, moved quickly to keep him lying on the ground. The other five, Jakotsu, Mukotsu, Renkotsu, Ginkotsu and Bankotsu surrounded them, alert of any attempt to escape.

Inuyasha wouldn't give up, though and so he kept struggling, releasing himself sometimes only to be caught by another one of the brother's arms. That situation made Naraku lose his patience.

"Tell him not to move or I'll blow both of your brains!" Naraku yelled, crushing Kagome's neck, making it hard to her to breath.

Kagome felt her tears falling uncontrollably. None of the options were good. Yet, Inuyasha stopped struggling when he noticed how much in danger Kagome was. Without doubt they would kill her if he didn't bend before them.

"Dammit, Naraku! Do whatever you want with me, but don't touch her!" exclaimed the half-demon, staring with a pale face at the gun that was threatening Kagome's life. "Just let her go, please…" he begged when he noticed how terrified Kagome was.

"Whatever I want, eh? All right, you know how to talk, kid. You, brat, order him to stay still. I don't want any surprises here."

Kagome shook her head with desperation and that only made Inuyasha feel how his heart was about to explode from pain when Naraku took her from her hair and began shaking her, hurting her and still pointing at her with the gun.

"Do as I say!" Naraku yelled above the noise of the storm.

Inuyasha stared helpless at Kagome's face and when she opened her eyes it took only one glance at each other eyes to make her feel like scum. He was practically begging her to obey them… he was asking her to force him to not move…

"In-Inuyasha… don-don't move," whispered the girl while closing her eyes with pain. Then she heard thuds and groans from Inuyasha. Those bastards, the seven warriors, were beating and kicking him. Inuyasha's body was splattered on the floor and besides his cries of pain he was unable to defend himself.

"You cowards! Leave him alone!" Kagome yelled, making Naraku laugh. This was fun.

"I'll release you, brat, only if you order him to not do anything against us and no matter what, he must obey whatever we say."

"Over my dead body!"

"As you wish…" spoke Naraku, placing the gun against her head one more time.

"No! No, Kagome! Do what they say! Say it! Order me what he asked you to," said Inuyasha, from the ground, motionless. His lips were split and a line of blood came out of his mouth. His face was covered with blood and bruises and his left eyebrow had a cut that made blood splash over his eye, however, he didn't care about any of that. He was terrified because Kagome was determined not to obey them. Didn't she understand that her life was in real danger? Why the hell was she trying to protect him? He was just a Slave, he wasn't worth it!

Kagome felt so helpless at that moment and at the same time she felt so much self-hatred and self-disgust…

"Inuyasha… you mu-must obey… obey every-everything that N-Naraku and his minions tell you to do." Her voice break at that moment but Inuyasha sighed in relief when Naraku let her go and put down his gun.

The man began walking towards the entrance of the alley, with a twisted smile on his face.

"All right, Inuyasha. You can stand up and say goodbye to Kagome. I feel merciful, you have five minutes before I decide to kill this little brat… and you," he said pointing at Kagome. She looked at him in shock; this was just so much for her. "If you don't bring me Kikyo to this exact place in 24 hours, I'll not only finish with this insect's life. I'll also hunt you down and kill you and your entire family, you understand?"

During Naraku's threat, Inuyasha managed to stand up and began walking towards Kagome, a bit numbly because of all the pain. When he got to her side he hugged her tightly.

"Why, Inuyasha? Damn it, why?" she whispered, her eyes finally loosing the battle against her uncontrollable tears. She was terrified, she didn't know what would happen to him and it was all her fault.

The half-demon smiled sideways, causing the injuries on his face to hurt, but he didn't care. He just wanted her to be safe.

"Some time ago I told you… that I wouldn't be able to spend an eternity in solitude again… that's why no matter what happens to me while being with them, I know my existence was worth something because it allowed me, even if it was for a short time, to be with you. Kagome… you taught me how to live again."

"Don't talk like this is the last time we'll see each other…"

"Three minutes," Naraku mocked, staring at them with fun. They were just so pathetic.

"This will probably be the last one…" Inuyasha held her even more tightly and she clung to him in need. "Kagome…" he whispered, making sure that Naraku couldn't hear him. "Don't bring Kikyo here and if something were to happen to me- No, listen to me," he asked when she began to struggle and shook her head. "Please Kagome, I don't want to see you hurt, none of you, I'm not worth it, so please just get out of here, all of you get out of this place, please protect yourselves and promise me that you will go on with your life. If something happens to me, just get as far as you can and have a good life, please Kagome, be happy for the both of us. Find someone you can share your life with… someone who can give you everything that no matter how much I want to I'll never be able to give you."

"Don't ask impossible things, Inuyasha," she sobbed, wanting to send everything to hell right then. Let them kill them both at that place! Why did she have to suffer? She didn't want to get away from Inuyasha.

"…It _is_ possible, Kagome. There will be someone out there who will be worth much more than me. Someone who's alive. Someone who can give you the family that you desire… someone with a job, who will be able to take care of you, support you, someone that will always watch out for you and your family. Someone who will be able to grow old with you. I can only offer you this."

And then Inuyasha took Kagome's face between his hands and kissed her passionately and vehemently. He was letting go everything into that kiss, he was giving her everything he had, his strength, his love, his own soul. That was everything he possessed. Kagome began to shake her head with desperation when she felt that saline kiss, a clear signal of a farewell, and hide her face in his jacket once more.

"I offer you my freedom, the one you had given to me…" he whispered quietly into her ear, "… my life, my strength, my own soul in exchange for your freedom, your safety. This is the most I could ever do for you, Kagome. Although I'm just a Slave, believe me, you made me feel like something much more than that. You gave me a life… and I'm grateful for that. Thank you, Kagome. I love you."

"Inuyasha, get away from her, it's time to go." The hanyou felt himself tense when the shackle forced him to let go Kagome and began to walk towards Naraku and the Shichinintai. With one last glance towards her, Inuyasha's silhouette was lost in the rain.

Naraku smiled psychopathically and walked towards Kagome, seeing that she had entered into a state of shock.

"Remember, you have 24 hours." And that said, he also disappeared into the streets.

Kagome couldn't do anything and falling forward, she began crying with despair. Why hadn't she been able to say anything? What was she supposed to do now? What the hell was wrong with that sick world?

"Inuyasha!" And then, only the echo of a heartbroken scream was heard among the alleys of the city, among the noise of the storm and the darkness of the night.


	20. Detector

**_Author Notes: _**_I found what I'm good at! XD I'm good working with old and broken pictures and fixing them! =D That's why I couldn't update earlier this chapter, I was working! Woooo! I'm so happy! X3 Anyway, enough with the chat I hope you like this chapter, even if it's a bit shorter than the other ones hehehe ^^ see you next Friday!_

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><p><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: Besides the plot line, I don't own anything. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Yomiuri TV Corporation. I'm not getting any profit from this story; this was just made for fun.

**Warning**: Maybe there is bad language? I'm not so sure what you consider bad language... ^^U

**Thanks to: **My beta reader, PandaStarz, for her wonderful work on this chapter.

* * *

><p><strong>Slavery.<strong>

**Author: **MikoAucarod

**Chapter 20: Detector.**

* * *

><p>"Where are they?" Mrs. Higurashi paced the living room from one side to the other, staring every couple of seconds towards the wall clock. Near her, sitting on the couch, were Lady Kaede, old Myouga, and Shippo, who had a expression that claimed: 'Say anything to me, and I'll start crying.'<p>

Kikyo was standing at the side of the window looking towards the garden, staring at the forest, hoping for their return.

The storm kept falling and it seemed that it wouldn't stop any time soon.

Inuyasha and Kagome had left around noon and it was now 1 AM. They hadn't called or appeared the whole day.

It was then that the front door opened with a thud, making everyone jump in surprise. Kagome was standing there, resting her weight against the doorframe.

Her hair was a complete mess and all wet because of the rain and her entire body was covered with dirt and mud. Her face was distorted with desperation and when she saw her mother, Kagome tried to run towards her, but after a few steps, she stumbled and fell to the floor. Everyone ran to her and tried to help her.

Her eyes were swollen from all her crying.

"Kagome, my dear. For all heavens! What happened to you? Where's Inuyasha?"

Kagome observed Kikyo and began crying again, shaking her head. She couldn't do it. She didn't dare to take Kikyo to that place but neither could she abandon Inuyasha just like that. Her body couldn't stand all the pressure.

"Naraku-" was the last thing she managed to say, as a whisper, before blacking out into her mother's arms.

* * *

><p>"Inuyasha."<p>

"What's wrong, Miroku?" asked Sango, looking towards her friend. It was noon and they had been watching TV after their lunch, when suddenly the monk had stood up. He began to walk towards the room's exit, glancing at Sango when he reached the door.

"Don't worry, Sango. I- can I use the phone? I would like to talk with Kouga for a while."

The young girl, feeling puzzled by the sudden desire of the monk to talk with his friends, only managed to nod, but then she looked towards the TV and lost all her attention towards him.

Miroku took the phone from the dining room and walked to the terrace of his home, but before he could dial the number, the phone rang.

It was Kagura's house number.

"Hello?" he asked when he picked up.

"Did you feel it?" It was Sesshomaru.

"Yeah, I was about to call Kouga."

"I have him here on the other line, give me a second."

"Ok."

After a few seconds, Kouga's shrill voice could be heard.

"In what kind of problem has that mutt gotten himself into now?"

"Calm down, Kouga. We don't know for sure, but if the three of us could feel it, then it's probably that he is indeed in some kind of trouble," the monk tried to say, but Sesshomaru replied.

"Never, over the past 200 years that we have had the order of protecting each other, have I ever felt anything similar to this, Miroku. Inuyasha is in great danger, and you know it."

"Yeah, well… I'm trying to think posit-"

"To hell with positivism, monk! Isn't he supposed to be safe with Kagome and her family? What if Naraku already got his hands on them?"

"Kagome assured me that they were safe and sound when I saw them this aftern-"

"Sesshomaru?" asked the youkai wolf when the silence stretched enough to be awkward.

"The center of the city," the daiyoukai said suddenly. His mind was racing, filling in the dots and imagining the scenario. "Even when they were disguised, Naraku may have recognized them."

"If that's the case, then maybe Miss Kagome is in danger too, remember that she and Kikyo look alike, what if while being in disguise Naraku thought she was Kikyo?"

"Maybe he attacked them at the city."

"Has anyone tried to communicate with them?" A feminine voice could be heard and the three Slaves jumped in shock. Miroku turned around; Sango was looking at him, with the living room phone on her ear. She looked a bit shocked, but was trying to keep her cool.

_'Of course,' _thought the monk,_ 'when the phone rang, Sango should have answered it almost by instinct. – After all, the 80% of the calls to home are for her.'_

"I know they're living at Kaede's house, they just told me that, but I don't have a num-"

"Guys!" exclaimed Kouga, terrified. It wasn't necessary; the three of them had felt it. A huge crushing inside their chests, as if something were pressing with great force their entire torso. Dangerously near to their hearts.

They needed to find Inuyasha and they needed to do it now!

* * *

><p>"No, Kikyo!"<p>

"But it's the only way!"

"My dear children, please calm down, we still have time to-"

"No, Kaede! I'm sorry but there's no other way and we don't have time. I've already told you if Naraku wants me then why should you be involved in this? Look at what happened with Inuyasha!"

"But Kikyo…" Kagome pressed her head against her hands, tired. It was around 2PM – she scolded herself for having slept so much – and she only had a few hours left to obey Naraku's order or then who knows what could happen to Inuyasha. But neither of the options were good!

"Kagome…" Kikyo placed her hands on her cousin's shoulders and forced her to look at her own face. "Listen to me. I'm not asking for your permission. It's my decision to go. This isn't only for Inuyasha. All of you will also be in danger if we don't end all of this right now.

Kagome sighed. Kikyo's expression told Kagome that she had made her decision, and she knew that her cousin wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. She was already tired from all the discussion.

"We'll go… But promise me that we'll do everything within our power and manage to return the three of us."

"But Kagome, Kikyo!" Mrs. Higurashi exclaimed, terrified for her daughter's and niece's wellbeing, but Myouga placed a hand on her arm and made her stop.

"I'm afraid that there's nothing that we can do."

"They'll know how to get out of this," Lady Kaede spoke, solemnly. She observed both girls with pride and fear. It was true that their method would cause less harm to the family and beloved ones… it was just a waste give Naraku more heads.

Even if that thought didn't make the situation less painful.

* * *

><p>"I didn't know my mom could cry that much… I…I feel awful."<p>

"Kagome, let's just end all of this," was Kikyo's ultimatum, even when her face looked the same or more devastated than Mrs. Higurashi had looked when both girls left.

When they got to the city, Kagome began to panic, when she noticed a big problem.

"I can't remember where the alley is. I don't even know where they took Inuyasha! What the hell was I thinking?" she yelled, looking at the streets, trying to remember some building, any signal that could be familiar to her. But when the storm had begun, Inuyasha had moved so fast that she couldn't really see where he had taken her."

"Calm down. We will find the place. Naraku will have what he wants and everything will return to normality."

"I don't want to see Naraku! What I want to know is where Inuyasha is!"

After her claim, a glow emerged from the pockets of her jeans, making both girls stare at the place with surprise.

Kagome pulled out what she had in her pocket. It was the bag with the stones that Mr. Kei had given to her almost a year ago. They were glowing brilliantly.

"What's that?"

"I'm not sure… this…" Kagome took one of the stones out of the bag, at the next moment, the ones that were left stopped glowing, while the one on her palm began to emit a powerful brightness, which then spread to form a delicate line, pointing to a direction.

"Kagome… do you think that stone-?"

"It's guiding us towards Inuyasha, I'm sure!" cheered the girl, happy. They wouldn't have to go to the alley and confront Naraku! They could find Inuyasha and escape with him.

Both of them began running towards the direction that the stone was marking and after a while – they didn't stop to check the time – they arrived at a semi-abandoned zone of the city with lots of old buildings, mostly all of them empty.

The stone signaled the path towards one building in particular and when they got near the entrance, the delicate line of light began to point upwards them, meaning that Inuyasha was at one of the superior floors.

Finally they reached the fifth floor and the glowing became more and more intense, it was almost blinding. They were getting closer.

Kikyo began to look around her, afraid. They hadn't seen anyone else there, not at the stairs, not at the hall…. It was weird. Naraku wasn't careless. There had to be someone on guard.

"Hurry up, Kikyo. This way!" Kagome hurried towards a near door. Inuyasha was right on the other side.

"Wait, Kagome! You don't know wh-!" Kagome opened the door, which wasn't locked and she paralyzed at the sight before her. Kikyo, standing behind her watched with similar terror at the same place Kagome was staring at.

Inuyasha was there, lying on the floor, curled up with countless wounds throughout his body, both from blades and bullets. His torn clothes and his hair were completely covered with dirt and blood, his own blood. His breathing was labored and it seemed that he couldn't even stand up if he had tried to.

But what shocked them the most wasn't to see the boy lying at the end of the room, but to see in front of him the seven warriors standing around him, preventing them from coming to his aid and in front of all of them, there was Naraku, pointing at the girls with his gun.

"Make a single movement… and you're both dead."


	21. Fifteen Seconds

**_Author Notes:_**_I can only say this: Next is the final chapter._

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><p><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: Besides the plot line, I don't own anything. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Yomiuri TV Corporation. I'm not getting any profit from this story; this was just made for fun.

**Warning**: Maybe there is bad language? I'm not so sure what you consider bad language... ^^U

**Thanks to: **My beta reader, PandaStarz, for her wonderful work on this chapter.

* * *

><p><strong>Slavery.<br>Author:**MikoAucarod

**Chapter 21: 15 seconds.**

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><p>"You two are really stupid if you thought that you could come directly to the wolf's den and get away from here alive." Naraku said, observing how both girls were quickly stopped by Bankotsu and Suikotsu.<p>

Kagome began to struggle and she got free from Bankotsu's grip. Then she quickly moved towards Inuyasha.

She knelt by his side and stared at his injuries with horror. Bullet marks, sword and daggers and claw marks, bumps and bruises covered his entire body. Inuyasha was breathing with difficulty.

For a few terrible seconds, Kagome was afraid that Inuyasha could be in the same state that his father had been. As if reading her mind, Inuyasha managed to open his eyes and looked at her.

"This is-is nothing... I'm sorry I- I was forc-forced to tell…" Inuyasha coughed blood and that only made Kagome to look at him with despair. "It's nothing… compared with your fath-… father… you should-ldn't have… come." He managed to whisper.

"Inuyasha, calm down. I'm here. We'll get out of this."

"How I love the women's optimism," Jakotsu spoke, with a feminine tone and walked towards Kagome, grabbing her hair and making her stand up. Kagome began to yell and exclaim to let her go.

The half-demon could only stare with pain at his owner. At his Kag. He couldn't move.

"Dammit! Let go of me! Inuyasha- Inuyasha you can move!"

"Make that brat shut up before I place a bullet inside her stupid head." Naraku observed, angry, at how Inuyasha was trying to stand up. It was in vain. Yet he wouldn't take the time to order him anything at this moment. Even if they hadn't killed him yet – it wasn't as if they could without taking of his shackle, anyway – Inuyasha was too weak at that moment and couldn't even place a finger against them.

They had already taken care of that.

"Now, Kikyo," he spoke, turning his back to Inuyasha, confident that the hanyou wouldn't even be able to carry his own weight. "Do you know that it's rude to send your uncle Naraku to prison? And to make it worse, you didn't even come to visit me once. What bad manners, miss."

"Shut up! You're not my uncle! You damn murderer! How dare you look me in the eyes? How dare you after you killed your friends? My parents!"

"They were in my way, that's all." Naraku then looked at the left of the room. There was a desk with lots of monitors.

Kagome paled when she saw in them that Sesshomaru, Kouga, and Miroku were quickly moving through the halls and stairs of the building. That's how Naraku and the seven warriors had known that Kagome and Kikyo were coming.

When Naraku noticed Kagome staring at the monitor, he walked towards her and placed his arm around her neck, making her moan with terror.

Inuyasha, who had managed to stand up, tried to go to her and help her, but Kyokotsu stopped him, punching him and making him stumble backwards until he hit the wall.

"You know, Inuyasha said some interesting things while being with us," he said with a twisted smile. It was obvious how he had made Inuyasha talk. "How didn't I notice it earlier?" he continued, while studying the girl between his arms. "If I had known I wouldn't have let you go from that alley in the first place. Now, say any word and you can consider yourself dead," was his new threat. Kagome tried to release herself and because of her movements, the man felt something hitting his leg. "Oh, but what's this…?"

Kagome looked terrified when Naraku took from her pocket the bag with Kei's stones.

"So you came here prepared, in case I killed Inuyasha, eh? It's such a shame that you won't be able to use them anymore."

* * *

><p><em>"You're a spoiled kid!"<em>

_"And you're dumb and crazy!"_

_"That's how you thank me for saving you from the insane Kikyo? At this moment you could be eating from the palm of her hand, literally!"_

_"There isn't so much difference! You bought me, remember?"_

_"Don't you dare compare me with that__girl! If I bought you it was to save your life from a miserable fate!"_

_"My imitation of life is miserable already, thank you very much!"_

_"You are such a fool!"_

_"Stubborn!"_

_"You act like a misbehaving dog! Sit boy!"_

* * *

><p>Naraku threw the bag with stones towards Jakotsu, who placed them inside his pocket and went to stop Kikyo, since Bankotsu and Suikotsu were now preparing to receive the newcomers. Both had taken a machine gun.<p>

Through the monitors they could see how the three Slaves stopped in front of their door.

Sesshomaru opened it and the burst of gunfire was heard. Both Kagome and Kikyo yelled and even Inuyasha couldn't stop the exclamation from going through his mouth when he saw his friends fall backwards to the floor. Their bodies were covered in blood.

* * *

><p><em>"Are you mad about this?" Kagome asked softly, noticing how the teenage boy hadn't look away from their hands.<em>

_For a second, she had thought to let go, but then she noticed, with surprise, that he had slowly maneuvered his own hand in order to intertwine their fingers together._

_He moved so gently, as if he were studying each of his own movements._

_"No…" he whispered finally, once he had trapped her hand in his "Honestly no… I…"_

_Kagome saw him and a small blush crossed her face and, a bit confused, stared at Inuyasha's face. He was concentrated, as if he were remembering something._

_"I… this is the first time that… that someone has held my hand."_

* * *

><p>Then they heard an explosion and the wall of the right side of the room collapsed. Sesshomaru, Miroku and Kouga appeared, unharmed, behind the smoke.<p>

"Never underestimate the powers of a magical fox," Miroku spoke at the same time the injured bodies of Sesshomaru, Kouga and Miroku disappeared in a puff, leaving only a few strands of hair behind.

That's when everything turned into chaos. Bullets and attacks crossed the room from one side and another. Yet, the fight didn't last long, because whenever the three slaves tried to directly attack one of the warriors, the stone in their shackles began to shine and forced them to stop or deflect their attacks.

Soon, the seven warriors found the advantage in this.

* * *

><p><em>"You were complaining about a pain in your chest…"<em>

_"Well, I don't feel any pain, I'm perfectly fine."_

_"That is the place where your heart is…"_

_Inuyasha froze at those words. Wasn't he supposed to be immortal with that disgusting thing on his neck?_

_"Sometimes," Kagome spoke softly "we're not injured or sick…. It just hurts."_

_"That shouldn't be normal." _

_"It isn't normal. It happens when you're sad, very sad." Kagome looked at him, feeling sad herself. "It's like when you think of someone you loved a lot, and lost."_

_That's when Inuyasha smiled bitterly._

_"If that's the case then the only thing that would be able to ease this pain would be to go back to my old life, get rid of that despicable witch and never die in the first place."_

* * *

><p>Yet, Kagome was staring at Inuyasha, who did everything he could to avoid the attacks. He was pale, because of the loss of his blood and she could notice how he even lightly crossed his eyes, as if he wanted to focus his vision.<p>

Without being able to help it, Kagome sobbed slightly. She wasn't feeling well, she wasn't feeling safe, something would go wrong, and she knew it. She didn't want to have these kind of thoughts but… why then couldn't she stop remembering each and every single one of the moments that she had spent with Inuyasha? Why were they appearing in her mind?

* * *

><p><em>"This necklace belonged to my father. He liked to wear it, he used to say that it was ancient, that's why we always took good care of it… I thought you would like it."<em>

_"I can't accept it."_

_"What?"_

_"This object is a memory of your father, Kagome. I can't accept it," said the young hanyou, attempting to return the box to her._

_Kagome shook her head and pushed the package back to Inuyasha._

_"This is a gift that I want to give you. It's from me to you. You will accept it because you will accept it," she said, not really knowing what else to say._

_Inuyasha took the necklace carefully from the box. He was surprised at the strength of the beads and finally he looked over at the girl sitting next to him again._

_"Are you sure it's ok?"_

_"Of course." Kagome took the necklace from Inuyasha's hands and, carefully, pulled it over his head, finally letting it rest on Inuyasha's neck. She then took his hair and pulled it off of the necklace. When Inuyasha felt her hands touch him, he had remained still, feeling Kagome as she was pacing then fixing the necklace, always being very careful, as if she were afraid of hurting him._

_That was impossible, she would never hurt him. He had finally understood that._

_"Merry Christmas, Inuyasha" she said, hugging him at the end. That action alone made him feel awkward again, just like that day when she had resurrected him, and hugged him in the kitchen when he had entered. She was glad that he was okay. What was he supposed to do now? Just then, he remembered his mother. When he was very young his mother used to hug him that way. And what had he done then?_

_"Merry Christmas… Kagome"_

* * *

><p>They were defeated. Sesshomaru was threatened by the claws that Suikotsu was carrying as a weapon. Bankotsu had stopped him thanks to his abilities and now the taiyoukai was unable to move. The claws would pierce the stone in his neck if he made any movement.<p>

Miroku fell unconscious on the floor, because of the paralyzing poison that Mukotsu had thrown at him.

Renkotsu shot Kouga's legs and pinned him to the ground, causing the youkai wolf to launch a groan in frustration.

* * *

><p><em>"Drink it, it'll make you feel better. Don't let it get too cold."<em>

_Kagome took it, and without even know what it was, took a sip, savoring the delicious taste of cinnamon as it filled her mouth._

_"Is this… chocolate?"_

_Inuyasha took a seat beside her, drank from his own cup, then sighed and relaxed._

_"Yup, it's chocolate with a dash of cinnamon. I don't know why, but it helps. Kaede used to ask me to make her some every winter night, that's why I thought it would help you." He told her, watching with satisfaction as a soft blush began to creep over her face once more._

_"It's very effective," she concluded, taking another sip. "I love it, thank you, Inuyasha"_

* * *

><p>"Stop it!" Kikyo exclaimed, under Jakotsu's grip, seeing how everyone were defeated. "Naraku, please stop it! Don't hurt them! I'm-!"<p>

"You think this is about you?" Naraku smiled mockingly and looked at the futile efforts of Kagome trying to get away from him in order to help Inuyasha. The hanyou could barely stand and he was placing almost all his weight in the wall. Yet his eyes shone with determination. He was determined to stand firm until his last moment.

* * *

><p><em>Seconds later, he felt Kagome's cover draping over him, and looked over at her, shocked. Kagome was smiling, with sadness in her eyes. Even without knowing his past, without knowing about his death, she too had learned to read his gestures and manners, and at that moment she had noted something very important in his eyes…<em>

_"I don't intend to leave you alone tonight."_

* * *

><p>"Leave Kagome alone. What are you looking with all of this? If it's not for Kikyo, then what do you want from us?<p>

Naraku looked at him with his narrowed eyes; these kids were beginning to bother him.

"Do I have to explain myself in here? Do you honestly think that I'll tell you all my plans only because you're asking? Don't be a fool, Inuyasha. This is not a stupid cartoon or a TV show."

The seven warriors began to laugh.

But Kikyo understood then, watching Inuyasha's injuries, so similar to the ones Kagome's father had – she knew from what her aunt had told her - watching how Naraku was stopping Kagome from doing anything… It wasn't only that Naraku wanted to kill her for putting him in jail. That thing about Inuyasha giving them enough information… Naraku had discovered what was under Higurashi's name and now he wanted it.

He wanted the fortune of Higurashi's family. It all made sense.

* * *

><p><em>"If you think I'm crying, it's not true, so don't worry about it."<em>

_"I haven't said anything yet, Kagome," he answered, half-mocking, half-serious. He knew very well that, that scent was the scent of fresh tears… why deny it?_

* * *

><p>Inuyasha looked at Naraku with hate. Kagome was in danger and no one could do anything. They enjoyed making them suffer. What were they looking for?<p>

"If Kikyo isn't so important, then you won't mind if I switch places with her.

Kagome and Kikyo yelled but their voices where immediately interrupted when Naraku spoke again. One wrong step and everything would be screwed.

But honestly, didn't Inuyasha think that they had had troubles in finding him and now he just wanted them to go?

* * *

><p><em>"I'm serious, forgive me."<em>

_"There isn't really anything to apologize for…"_

_"Then… are we ok?" Inuyasha asked again, with his ears down a bit. He felt bad now, he had hurt her, even if she denied it. "Everything… everything will go on as before?"_

_Kagome sighed, slightly. It wasn't that simple. Normally she was the one who, after some stupid fight, apologized to Inuyasha and now the roles were reversed. She would definitely forgive him, but this wasn't some stupid fight… _

_"I guess it will… honestly, I don't even know why it affected me so much. I mean, you and I have nothing going on between us, beside our friendship."_

_"And the fact that you're the owner of my life…"_

* * *

><p>"Inuyasha, that old trick won't be of help. If you didn't know it I already have had control over you, I can have it again. What else could I need?"<p>

"Precisely. Just let them go and I won't have any motive to disobey you or make things difficult to you. You can even kill me if you want, but they," he added signaling his friends "and Kikyo and Kagome let them go. I don't know what's on your mind, Naraku and no matter how much would I like to discover what are you planning I know you won't tell us. But they don't have to be a victim of your craziness."

* * *

><p><em>"Don't worry, just… just stay by my side. Believe me, that's the only thing I need."<em>

* * *

><p>"… Interesting. Do you really value your life so little?"<p>

"Is not that I don't value it, but neither can I say that I have one."

"… You really are a very interesting person, Inuyasha." Naraku repeated. "But it's a shame that you can be stupid enough to believe that I'll accept your deal and let them go. You're stupid if you think that after killing you I won't hurt them."

* * *

><p><em>"Kagome!" yelled Inuyasha, waking up and opening his feverish eyes. Where was he? What had happened? Had gone something wrong? Why the hell wasn't the sensation of drowning not going away?<em>

_Then he felt a hand rest on his head. Kagome's hand._

_"Easy, you had a nightmare… everything's all right, Inuyasha. How do you feel?"_

_The hanyou relaxed, but was still weak and 'dying'. Gently, he took the hand that Kagome had resting on the mattress, between his claws._

_"Thank you for not leaving…" he whispered so low that he wasn't sure if Kagome had actually heard him or not._

* * *

><p>Inuyasha was already pale because of the blood loss, but, if possible, he paled even more and only could stare at Naraku's gun, which was pointing directly to his head.<p>

No… it was aiming further down.

* * *

><p><em>"Why are you- why do you worry so much? What- what are we to you?" Inuyasha answered but couldn't open his eyes. He was no longer able to move his eyelids and he ignored how he had managed to barely speak.<em>

_"You're very important to me, Inuyasha. You and Shippo are my friends… you're my family. I don't want to see you tied to this sort of life…"_

_The hanyou managed to open his eyes and look at her. She returned the look with great sadness._

_"I know how hard it must be for you, to have loved ones that with time will die… and you won't be able to do anything about it. All you can do is to watch them all pass…"_

_Inuyasha hadn't seen it from that point of view before since he had never had someone he really cared about, but now... If he let her know about his feelings for her… for the first time he felt terrified of her returning his feelings._

_"I want to release you. I want you to have a normal life."_

_"Kagome… it's thanks to you that… that we have a life as normal as possible." Inuyasha could feel it. It was now or never. Nevertheless he needed to know. "Would it be so bad to share your life with me, as I am? A hanyou… a Slave…"_

_"Inuyasha…" Kagome looked at him, touched by his words but still looking depressed. "The last thing I want is for you to suffer. I only seek for your happiness, and Shippo's."_

_"What if we decided-" Inuyasha began to suffer from lack of air. It was so close, he could feel it. "…Stay like this forever? If we didn't care… to actually be Slaves as- as long as we could be wi-with you? I… my happiness-"_

* * *

><p>Naraku triggered the trigger, the thunderous sound of a gunshot was heard and Kagome just managed to scream.<p>

Inuyasha could see the bullet coming towards him, literally. It seemed the time had stopped. No, he didn't want his last vision to be the one of the death.

* * *

><p><em>"I told you everything would be all right, Kag." Inuyasha gently moved some strands of her hair with his claws and placed them behind her ear. Then he returned his hand, and left it on her cheek.<em>

_She sighed with relief as she felt how his hand was once again warm._

_"For a moment I thought that-"_

_"I'm not as weak as you think."_

* * *

><p>How ironic. Time ago he had searched it, time ago he had been mad because death had been taken away from him… and now he was terrified.<p>

He looked at Kagome and ignored everything else. It all happened in just fractions of a second, but it didn't matter; the time was insignificant as long as he could contemplate her eyes. That calmed him down.

* * *

><p><em>"Feh! You're just saying that because you don't have a boyfriend."<em>

_"Of course that's not the reason, even if I had one, the details that my friends give me are beautiful gifts…"_

_"Don't give me that crap. They bought more than what they really needed and now they don't know what to do with so many things."_

_"Inuyasha, could it be… that you're jealous?" Kagome asked, watching him, but the hard look that greeted her made it very clear that jealousy wasn't what he felt at that moment. For some strange reason, deep down from inside of her, she felt disappointed, and she knew what he was trying to get at…_

* * *

><p>The bullet made contact with the stone and shattered it. Inuyasha's eyes, which just a second ago Kagome had been watching, completely lost their life and focus.<p>

The man's body fell to the ground, dead. The fifteen seconds had begun its countdown.

* * *

><p><em>"You want me to begrudge them only because they don't accept me as whom I am?"<em>

_"Precisely." Immediately, Inuyasha hit his head against the edge of the bed, tired. "Well, that's not what I meant… well, that's exactly that I meant but- don't misunderstand me, Kagome."_

_The girl sighed again and looked at the album one more time._

_"Perhaps I would consider your opinion if there was a reason to do it, but there isn't. On the contrary, they may not be my friends, but they don't treat me bad and once in a while I speak with them and it's nice. Besides I don't really need them since I have Sango, lately we've been seeing Kagura and Ayame more often and there's even Kikyo. I have my mom, Shippo… and I have you. It doesn't matter really what other people do, or what they thought about me or what their reason is behind talking to me. They haven't hurt me and there's no point in holding grudges towards anyone. It just-"_

_"It just kills your soul." Inuyasha interrupted with a confused and surprised look. Then he looked again towards Kagome._

* * *

><p>"One second." Naraku began to mock, staring at the lifeless form of Inuyasha.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"Please, I beg you, Kagome… leave things as they are. Don't ask, I- I don't want to hurt you." Inuyasha lowered his hand, releasing the girl from her silence.<em>

_"The truth doesn't kill, Inuyasha." She shook her head with shame but she needed to know. She needed to know what was happening with him. "Is that the reason you left?" She asked, cautiously._

_"Yes" was the half-demon's dry answer._

_"And I imagine it has something to do with me."_

_"That's right."_

_"Is it something bad or something I should worry about?"_

_"… It's something… It's something that made you have the life you actually have and it won't have any repercussion in your future." Inuyasha felt his soul relieved when he saw that he had escaped from that question._

_"Then it's all right."_

* * *

><p>"Two seconds." Bankotsu and Suikotsu said at the same time, keeping Sesshomaru at bay, with Suikotsu's claws dangerously close to his stone.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"Even if I'm a murderer?" Inuyasha's eyes widened with fear. That question had escaped his lips before he could stop it. There was no way back now.<em>

_Kagome was even more surprised than the man in front of her but after a few seconds she calmed down._

_"Were you the one who hurt him or who attempted to do him harm?" she asked._

_Inuyasha shook his head. He looked down, tired, exhausted… Knowing the truth was killing him! How was he supposed to deal with this?_

_"I ended his life…" He finally spoke. "But only because he was a Slave he was still there… I just-"_

_"You removed his shackle," whispered the girl. Kagome observed Inuyasha and then she smiled weakly. "You didn't kill him. You only released him from his agony…"_

_"It's still something bad. I snatched his life away from him. I snatched him from his family…"_

_"Did you know it at the moment? Did you know that would happen?"_

_"No…" Inuyasha looked Kagome and just let it out. "Your father asked me to save him, to end with the pain. And that's what I did- I didn't know that it would cause you pain for more than two years."_

* * *

><p>"Three seconds." Spoke Mukotsu, smiling while sitting over Miroku's back, who was still unconscious.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"Give him back." Kagome's voice trembled with anger. "I order you to give me back my father!" Despite the tone of voice, she barely spoke above a whisper. But she was angry and out of control.<em>

_"I can't revive the dead, Kagome… I'm not some kind of magician; I just follow orders."_

_"Then I order you to die."_

_"I can't do that either… the shackle keeps me from dying." Despite his look, his voice was full of anger and sadness contained. And Kikyo could understand him; Kagome had just ordered him to die._

_"Do it."_

* * *

><p>"Four seconds." Renkotsu tightened his grip in Kouga, making him impossible to move.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"Don't go! I'm sorry!" gasped Kagome, between sobs, looking almost pleading. Inuyasha looked at her, surprised and with a deep, profound relief in his heart. Kagome didn't hate him. "I didn't mean it- I… I don't know what I was thinking. I- I just… you- you won't hurt yourself, right?" She continued sobbing at the same time she stood up, being helped by Kikyo. "Don't listen to that order, I don't want you to die- I…"<em>

_Seeing the worried sick look in her eyes, Inuyasha shook his head, slightly._

_"Do you remember the first order you gave me, when you resurrected me?" He didn't wait up for a response and continued, "I cannot commit suicide. You ordered me to not commit any stupid thing against me. I just- I'll leave for all the time you need to assimilate what has happened. I know this… this is something really hard for you."_

_"Then don't go" was the final order from Kagome, who freed herself from Kikyo's embrace and got near Inuyasha. Then she hugged him and hid her face in his chest, while silent tears continued to fall. "I need to know… what happened. Besides, I don't want to lose anyone else that's important to me."_

_That was enough for the half-demon, who embraced the girl._

* * *

><p>"Five seconds." Ginkotsu smiled and began to clean his gun, letting his body rest against the wall.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"Why do you do this to yourself, Kagome?" he asked, weakly. His ears were lowered almost flat against his skull. He, who couldn't like, knew how to recognize the falsity from miles away.<em>

_"I don't know what are you talking about, Inuyasha." But her smile faltered a bit._

_"You asked me to not leave, apparently you accepted the facts without a big fuss and then you act like this." Inuyasha sighed with irritation and scratched the back of his head, feeling helpless. "I hate seeing you angry or crying because of me, but if you need to do it, you need to do it. It isn't good for you to drown yourself in your own suffering."_

_Kagome looked down as Inuyasha spoke._

_"Neither was it fine to order you to die…"_

_"No, it wasn't. But it was your love for your father speaking, Kagome. It's natural that your subconscious seeks to protect him."_

_"I don't know what's happening to me…" Kagome finally looked into Inuyasha's eyes, a look between depressed and crying for help. "I mean… I should kick you out of here but I can't do it. You're someone important to me, Inuyasha but… you killed my father."_

_'That is a fact', Inuyasha thought to himself. Even he felt uncomfortable being in that house. He felt he didn't deserve it._

_"And yet… I can't tell you anything. And then I feel that I'm humiliating – I can't find the right word… dishonoring? insulting? – My father's memory for letting you be near us. What would he say to me? I feel so guilty… I… I wish to know what he would tell me, I…" Kagome gradually broke up until she ended speaking in whispers and soft moaning, because of her crying._

_Inuyasha walked over to her and hugged her. She didn't complain._

* * *

><p>"Six seconds." Kyokotsu kicked Inuyasha's arm, making him roll over himself, to Kagome's consternation. His body was in a curious position, one of his arms hanging towards his back, but he didn't move. Not a breath, not a heartbeat, not a movement of his ears. Nothing…<p>

* * *

><p><em>"Thank you so much, Inuyasha," she spoke, without removing her hands from his face. "I know that you did what you could and now I understand a lot of things that before this were just unknown to me… I… thank you."<em>

_He lowered his gaze, feeling powerless because he felt that it was getting more and more difficult to retain his crying, but he didn't dare to be apart from the girl at his side. He felt stupid. He… needed her that way…_

_"It isn't humiliating to release your suffering. You told me to not drown myself in my own suffering, don't force yourself to do the same thing; don't hold in your suffering anymore. Here I am." He heard Kagome's voice, and it was as if he had needed to hear those words to finally break down._

_Inuyasha hugged the girl with despair and this time it was he who cried into her chest, finally releasing that anguish, that pain, that guilt, all of those dark feelings he had kept within him for over two years._

* * *

><p>"Seven seconds!" exclaimed Jakotsu, shaking Kikyo and loosening his grip on her, thinking that victory was already in their hands.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"But why did she give it to you?" She asked again, confused. Inuyasha sighed irritably. He watched the sea, the waves breaking against the coast and over the sand, the moon reflected on the water surface, the stars shining with splendor… maybe…<em>

_"Maybe… she just wanted you to see this landscape."_

_"…maybe."_

_Inuyasha observed Kagome and smiled softly when he saw her so relaxed, contemplating the sea._

_"Come here, sit down or you'll get tired," he said, moving aside and inviting the girl to sit next to him._

_Kagome didn't think about it twice._

_They were both observing the place, with a calm atmosphere, sitting next to each other. When time began to pass and the salty air began to feel cooler, the young girl covered both of them with the blanket – despite Inuyasha's claims that he wasn't cold._

_As the night advanced, Kagome ended laying her head on Inuyasha's left shoulder and he was holding her, with his left arm over her shoulder._

_After all, this first day hadn't gone so bad._

* * *

><p>"Eight seconds," repeated Renkotsu. Kikyo stared at the floor, and then she noticed that her hand was really close to Jakotsu's pants pocket and thanks to his earlier movement the bag with stones was open and close to her. If she could reach one…<p>

* * *

><p><em>Kagome stretched her right hand and removed the wet cloth, cooling it in the bucket that she had at the floor beside her. The fever had fallen considerably, but she still needed to take care of him. While she let the towel to soak and cool off, she began to move his fringe, marveling at the image in front of her.<em>

_This wasn't the first time she saw Inuyasha unconscious. She already had experience with his death anniversaries, but at those moments he always seemed to be bracing life, fighting. His expression was always determined to not give up. But now he just seemed to surrender and give in to that dream, from which she didn't know when he would wake up._

_Kagome began to fear the worst. What if Inuyasha never woke up again?_

_When she had told him to release Hojou, she hadn't expected this to happen. What if she could never see those golden eyes again? What if she never heard that 'Keh!' again that she hated so much, but at the same time was so fun to hear? What if she could never have him accompanying her again…? What if she could never see Inuyasha again?_

_She felt her heart burn. She couldn't- she couldn't see herself living without Inuyasha. She wasn't capable of returning to a life without him._

_Inuyasha meant everything to her._

* * *

><p>"Nine seconds." They could hear Kyokotsu speaking again.<p>

* * *

><p><em>Kagome stared Inuyasha's face again and her blush was stronger. Then her gaze got a tender look when she accepted what her mind and heart were crying loudly.<em>

_Finally, the girl placed the wet cloth over Inuyasha's forehead again, who sighed softly as a sign of relief when his skin came into contact with the cool fabric. Kagome smiled tenderly._

_"Forgive me, Inuyasha for putting you being in this situation." A slight tweak from his left ear let her know that he had listened to her and her smile widened._

_Kagome closed her eyes and lay down beside him, taking one of his hands between hers. She gave into sleep, feeling safe and protected._

_She loved him. She loved Inuyasha._

* * *

><p>"Ten seconds." Suikotsu was staring at Inuyasha's lifeless body with a mocking face. Kikyo closed her hand around the stone. She had it! She could save Inuyasha now.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"If I had never seen you again, Inuyasha… to hear you call me, to see your eyes… I-" She fell silent when she noticed the intense stare that he was giving her.<em>

_"You what, Kagome?" he asked softly, straightening up without releasing her face. He could feel it, her aura and her scent. They were losing the fear and sadness, giving more space to hope and… he couldn't be wrong, it had to be…_

_"I- I…" Kagome lost her trail of thoughts in his gaze at the same time he let go their interlaced hands to caress the other side of Kagome's face, tenderly. His thumbs began to move so slow and so tenderly, caressing her blushing cheeks._

_Inuyasha was sure, that scent was unique. But he needed to know…_

_"Tell me Kagome, you what?" he asked again, in a grave whisper, at the same time he got near her face, leaving only a couple of millimeters of distance between their mouths. He could feel the nervousness of the girl in his arms and she opened and closed her mouth trying to speak. That made their lips nearly touch each other._

_"I-I… Inuyasha…"_

* * *

><p>"Eleven seconds," Jakotsu spoke again, with a sadistic smile at the same time that a yell from Kikyo was heard. The warrior had noticed her movements and had stuck a dagger into her hand, making her drop the bloodied stone that fell to the floor and rolled out of everyone's reach.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"I love you." was the single breath that flowed from Inuyasha's lips.<em>

_"I love you too, Inuyasha," the girl finally answered, opening her eyes and looking at him with her chocolate orbs._

* * *

><p>"Twelve seconds." Bankotsu laughed derisively. No one could move or do anything.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"Kag, I love you, but I couldn't stand seeing you suffer for defending me or our relationship. There are a lot of problems involved."<em>

_"So what?" was her answer, and then her gaze relaxed. She couldn't get mad at Inuyasha, not right now at least. "Whatever comes, we'll go through it together, nothing will happen to us… and if the world goes against us, we just leave the world and that's it."_

_Inuyasha laughed at her last comment. Oh, Kagome… always so impulsive._

_"You're wonderful, Kag," he said, with a strong blush on his cheeks._

* * *

><p>"Thirteen seconds," continued Mukotsu. Kagome began to shake her head with despair. Naraku's hold on her arms was painful and it didn't matter how much she struggled, she couldn't get away. Inuyasha needed her! He was there, right in front of her and she couldn't do anything to help him!<p>

* * *

><p><em>"Don't worry, Kag. We're all fine, and I'll always be here to protect you, you must not be scared. I'll protect you," he vowed, kissing her forehead softly. "I would die before I let them hurt you."<em>

_"That's what I'm scared of the most." Inuyasha let out a small 'Keh!' and then he kissed the girl in his arms, wanting to bring her comfort, peace and mostly security, love and hope. Her soul needed that. "I just couldn't stand that-" she spoke again, after they broke the kiss, and placed her forehead against the half demon's. "… That you should have to sacrifice yourself to save me or my mom… or anyone… I don't want to lose you, Inuyasha."_

_"You won't, Kagome. You won't."_

* * *

><p>"Fourteen seconds." For the second time, Ginkotsu spoke, laughing at the despair of the people in front of him. Kagome went completely pale.<p>

* * *

><p><em>"…It <em>_is __possible, Kagome. There will be someone out there who will be worth much more than me. Someone who's alive. Someone who can give you the family that you desire… someone with a job, who will be able to take care of you, support you, someone that will always watch out for you and your family. Someone who will be able to grow old with you. I can only offer you this."_

_And then Inuyasha took Kagome's face between his hands and kissed her passionately and vehemently. He was letting go everything into that kiss, he was giving her everything he had, his strength, his love, his own soul. That was everything he possessed. Kagome began to shake her head with desperation when she felt that saline kiss, a clear signal of a farewell, and hide her face in his jacket once more._

_"I offer you my freedom, the one you had given to me…" he whispered quietly into her ear, "… my life, my strength, my own soul in exchange for your freedom, your safety. This is the most I could ever do for you, Kagome. Although I'm just a Slave, believe me, you made me feel like something much more than that. You gave me a life… and I'm grateful for that. Thank you, Kagome. **I love you**."_

* * *

><p>"Fifteen seconds!" Naraku exclaimed, with triumph, dropping Kagome at one side of him and turning around, leaving his back towards Inuyasha. Immediately, he pointed his gun towards Kikyo and Jakotsu moved aside, with a smirk on his face. He wouldn't lose any more time.<p>

Kagome fell to the floor and closed her eyes. Her brain and her heart weren't capable of understanding what the hell was happening and she couldn't even give some order to this situation. _Inuyasha was dead!_

Kikyo stared at the gun in front of her with tears escaping from her eyes. There was nothing else that she could think of to help them. Now because of her, Inuyasha had died. The pain in her hand was nothing compared with the pain of her soul. It was her fault. _It was her fault!_

Not even a second later Naraku shot. Blood fell over Kagome's head and all she could hear was a scream, followed shortly by the sound of a body hitting the floor. The sound echoed in the room.

Then, some voices yelled in triumph, while other ones exclaimed with despair.


	22. The key

**_Author Notes: _**_First of all, I really can't believe that I managed to finish this story. There is **yet to come the epilogue and a short story relating Kaede's life with Inuyasha, Miroku, Sesshomaru and Kouga**. I really really love this story and I want to thank all the readers, and everyone that lent me a review even if it was only one time. I had troubles during my life while translating this story and it was a difficult task, but I managed to finish it. Here it is. I hope you like it, I hope you enjoy the epilogue and again, thank you for being there, at the other side of the monitor reading this. This was a new challenge for me and I think I managed to pass it. For above all, thank you so much PandaStarz for your unconditional help being my beta-reader during the whole story. Thanks!_

_Love you guys! Thank you so much for every single word you wrote to me. I really appreciate it! See you on the final comments down there!_

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><p><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: Besides the plot line, I don't own anything. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Yomiuri TV Corporation. I'm not getting any profit from this story; this was just made for fun.

**Warning**: Maybe there is bad language? I'm not so sure what you consider bad language... ^^U

**Thanks to: **My beta reader, PandaStarz, for her wonderful work on this chapter.

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><p><strong>Slavery.<br>Author: **MikoAucarod

**Chapter 22: The key.**

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><p>The only thing he was capable of feeling at that moment was pain in every single one of his cells.<p>

Physical and emotional pain.

But pain… pain was good, right?

It wasn't of interest what had happened, his mind didn't want to work anymore. He just… he just wanted to be conscious enough to feel that light touch on his hand, almost like a breeze. Was it a ghost? Was someone's spirit keeping him company in the afterlife? Was someone with him at that moment?

It had to be. There wasn't any other explanation. Around him he could hear screams, thuds, more pain. The sound of sirens? What a pitchy sound. Blood, tears, yells, more thuds, everything was so confusing, if only he could open his eyes… damn, if only he could remember the last seconds…

Seconds… seconds that had been eternal to him, it hadn't mattered to him anymore what Naraku was doing or the seven warriors whatsoever. He didn't even care for the rest of the people inside that room.

If only he could react, but the pain was so intense…

But it was good…

Because it meant that there was life running inside of him.

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><p>Inuyasha felt his skin get colder when he stared at Naraku's gun, which was pointing directly at his head… no… damn it all! It was aiming at his shackle. Naraku was intending to kill him right there and get rid of all his problems.<p>

He was conscious of the trigger sound. He detected the thunderous sound of the gunshot followed almost instantly by Kagome's scream.

He saw the bullet and he didn't want to die. He couldn't! Why the hell did he feel like a coward at the last second?

He looked at Kagome and ignored everything else. It all happened in just fractions of a second, but it didn't matter; the time was insignificant as long as he could contemplate her eyes. That calmed him down. Her vision would always be perfect. Damn, there were so many things that he wanted to tell her, so much he wanted to apologize for, he wanted to say that he lov-

The bullet made contact with the stone and shattered it. The sight in front of Inuyasha disappeared and instead of looking at Kagome's eyes, he was now in total darkness.

The young half-demon fell onto his knees and punched the floor; he was furious and completely desperate. He couldn't feel his wounds anymore and neither felt weak or dizzy. That was it. He was dead. Naraku had won, Goddamn it! Damn it all!

What was going to happen with Kagome and Kikyo? The boys! What if they were killed too?

Inuyasha sat and flexed his knees, hiding his face between them. He hated that period of fifteen seconds.

It was already the third time he had been in that place. It was frustrating to be in that place, where there was nothing more than darkness and echoes of voices, some like whispers, and other ones closer to him making him remember over and over again every single one of the orders he had received and bee forced to obey during his entire existence as a Slave.

Every single one of them.

Since Tsubaki, until her former owner, Kaede. That's what had happened the last time, when he had killed himself near theforestofKagome's house.

Hundreds of voices. Thousands… millions of orders were drilling his head. Was this some kind of punishment for being a Slave? Did everyone else experience this too when they died? Because if it was something 'special' because he was a half-demon he swore that-

"Honestly, Inuyasha. Of all the Slaves I have met, you're the only one strange enough to not want to do anything while being in here."

The hanyou stood up when he heard that voice. It was completely different than the other ones he was hearing and looked around him. Only then did he notice that in the middle of the darkness, small fragments of crystal, thousands, maybe millions of small pieces of crystal were floating all over the place, hovering over his head.

It reminded him of those places of entertainment, the planetariums where you could supposedly walk among the stars of the sky…

_'Why am I remembering nonsense stuff like that in a moment like this?'_

"This isn't nonsense, my dear. Those are the things that everyone cherishes inside themselves."

Inuyasha looked at his left and there it was the origin of the voice. A tall woman, with long and silver hair and stripes on her cheeks, almost identical to Sesshomaru's, was standing near him, watching him with a small smile on her face.

"Who are you?" Inuyasha asked. Was this what happened when he over passed the fifteen seconds period? Because he was sure that that amount of time had already passed.

"Believe me. That's the last thing you could ever be interested in knowing. The question here is: why aren't you watching your orders?"

Inuyasha frowned and stared at her, not understanding at all. He could hear the echoes but… watch them?

"The crystals, my dear," she continued patiently.

Inuyasha looked above his head. There was a small crystal floating just above him at that moment so he reached his hand and, very carefully, took it.

He was surprised when he looked at it. It was like some kind of mirror's fragment because he didn't look at his reflection in the crystal, but a memory of himself. There he was, standing in front of Tsubaki and grinning cruelly, staring at the witch in front of him that seemed desperate for something. She was yelling over and over again the same order.

_"I command you! I order you to love me!"_

He remembered that order clearly. It had been one of the first ones – if not the first one – that she had given to him and at the same time it was one of the few – and he was grateful for that – he couldn't obey.

_"I'm ordering you, love me Inuyasha!" she was furious and looked a bit shocked._

_"I already told you I can't do it," he said, observing with great pleasure how she took her hair and began to move her hands around her head, completely desperate._

Inuyasha felt weird, this was similar to watch in the TV a movie where he was the protagonist.

_'Hold on… if this works like this then…'_

Inuyasha let go the crystal which floated again to its original location above his head. Then, the half demon began to run through all that darkness, searching between the crystals. He randomly took one, stared at it for a couple of seconds and then released it too to continue with his search.

"Hey! Take it easy, my boy. Time in here flows in a different way, you can stare without any hurry at your orders to see if one can help you. But-" the woman looked around her. There were millions of crystals floating. Poor creature. "Are you sure you want to try this? I don't want you to get depressed if you don't find what you're looking for. We can leave right now if you want."

Inuyasha observed her, not understanding anything she was saying. One order that could help him? What was she talking about? He only wanted to find one of Kagome's orders to be able to watch her in that place. If he was already dead and had to spend an eternity in that place, at least he wanted to have a memory of her.

They looked at each other with an expression that clearly indicated that they didn't know what the other was doing.

Ah?

Inuyasha stopped his search and walked towards her.

"What do you mean with 'one that can help me'? I only wanted a fragment from Kagome to remember her."

The woman stared at him with surprise. What was he? An idiot? She had had cases of Slaves that as soon as they entered this zone immediately knew what they were looking for, yet they could never find it. But… well, the last Slave that had done that had been there almost 1,000 years ago.

"You have no idea of why you are here, do you?" she finally spoke, noticing how Inuyasha had gone back to his task and was taking crystals randomly.

"I was killed and the fifteen seconds had already passed, so I know I'm dead," he spoke, hurt, but at the same time he felt lighter, it wasn't a worry anymore. Well… it was but he couldn't do anything now, right? ... Right?

Inuyasha stopped in his tracks and looked again at the lady that was pressing her hands against her temple and murmuring nonstop.

"That explains why they came already ready to part! Inuyasha, you really are an idiot!"

"Hey!"

"All right, all right. Let's see…" She straightened herself and went to Inuyasha and then, placing her hands on his shoulders, she looked him straight in the eyes. "Listen very closely. This is something that you could call a 'limbo'. Does that small head of yours understand that concept?"

"What the hell does that-? Am I dead or not?"

She sighed and patted Inuyasha's head, making him growl with a small pout. He wasn't a kid!

"It's hard to explain… mmm…" Inuyasha observed her walk around him, meditating. "Well I could tell you why I'm here but- no that's not of interest and this place is so ancient… well first things first."

She finally stopped her walk and took a crystal, with a nod of his head, she told Inuyasha to come with her.

"Look at this. He was one of your owners, wasn't he?"

Inuyasha looked through the crystal resting on the youkai's hand – he reached that conclusion, she had to be a youkai. Her resemblance with Sesshomaru was almost frightening! – And nodded his head.

He was staring at Tsubaki's father.

_"You see, Slave, my daughter Tsubaki is dead. I don't require your services and I don't want you near my lands, so from now on you'll obey this man." He spoke coldly and harshly, signaling a merchant standing near him."_

This is from when Tsubaki's father told me that she had died and he sold me to another owner," Inuyasha explained, at the same time he looked at the lady at his side. "What does this have to do with anything?"

"That was the order you received and what was your answer at that moment?"

_"As you order, master,"_ spoke the Inuyasha inside the mirror.

"I don't want to ever again obey that filthy pig," was the simultaneous answer from the real Inuyasha.

The half-demon inside the mirror crossed his arms inside his haori and began to walk behind the merchant, after he had given the landowner a quantity of gold. That day he had begun to change owners.

Meanwhile, the real Inuyasha was staring at his hands with intrigue. He had heard that order and it had felt so real, as if he had been commanded it again. That's why he had gone against it, almost involuntarily. But he wasn't suffering, and he wasn't feeling any pain coming from the shackle. This was confusing.

"I can see you don't have any trouble thinking that you don't have to obey the order, because truth be told, you don't have to."

Inuyasha stared at her, not understanding.

"The goal of this place," she said, "is to allow you to see one and every order you were given and allow you to contradict it. This is to see if you can find some order that, when you contradict it, can take you back to the world of living. It has never happened before, sadly. But that's why I'm here, if you know that there's no hope, we can simply go to the afterlife right now."

Inuyasha's head was spinning. He felt dizzy from all that information that he didn't really feel was important.

_'The hell, I can't even think straight.'_

"You mean that… if I find an order that I decide to contradict and it helps me go back, I can do it?"

"Basically, yes. But you must understand that in millennia no one has ever managed to return to the world of living. Sometimes they find something that seems will help, but it doesn't completely help them."

"Then what order should I search for?"

"I don't know, no one has ever found it." She smiled with sadness and sorry.

Inuyasha looked again towards the crystals, thinking on something that could help him. Maybe if he listened to every single order he could find a clue but… there were so many…

He was sure that none of his earlier owners had ever ordered something that could help him to survive. Everyone had been selfish or only ordered him to go and fight or not kill someone else.

Kaede had been different but despite not being selfish her orders usually were something like "don't run", "take care of me", "don't yell", "bring this", "go for that"… and her parents had ordered him to clean the house and garden… no, nothing of that was of help.

Maybe Kagome… but where were her crystals?

"Do you have any owner in mind?" the woman asked. "I can help you organize all this. You've been through so much, my dear."

Inuyasha decided to ignore that last comment.

"Can I see only Kagome's crystals? She was my last owner." The lady smiled and extended her arms, and the next instant almost all of the crystals disappeared, and only a few remained.

They floated in a group and Inuyasha ran towards them, checking them all one by one. On one hand, he was hoping this could work, on the other hand at least he was able to see her again… even if it was only in his memories…

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><p><em>"Inuyasha…" she said nervously. "Please, take Shippo to the market's entrance, my mother should be waiting for us at that place…"<em>

_"Inuyasha. Don't stay behind," called Kagome, waking the man up from his shock._

_"Don't you dare compare me with that girl!"_

_"Sit boy!"_

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><p>How could he forget that? He remembered clearly how things were at that time. Not even three hours being her Slave and he was treating her so badly… it wasn't an excuse, but he was hurt, and not even Kaede had managed to make him get over his own memories.<p>

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><p><em>"You can do whatever you want, whenever you want, as long as you want and wherever you want, only if you promise never to abandon us, never do anything crazy or anything wrong and over all never do something that can hurt you or can cost you any kind of damage."<em>

_"And I can tell that you would not stand it to be locked up the whole day, so you can explore this wood as much as you want, even if you want to travel for a time in it and do something for you, I won't deny it, but please just keep us informed, either my mom or me. We only care for you. We just want you to be happy."_

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><p>Of course he never did it. Only the time when he wanted to flee from her because of her father. He had learned that not everything was so bad after all and this was indeed a new chance of 'life' so to speak. Kagome had quickly found the path towards him and had found his barriers, breaking them all, one by one.<p>

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><p><em>"This is a gift that I want to give you. It's from me to you. You will accept it because you will accept it," she said, not really knowing what else to say.<em>

_"I dare you," she answered, half-awake, in a challenging tone._

_"Let Inuyasha do it!"_

_"Is there something about Kikyo that you should tell me?"_

_"Are you sure that nothing else has happened with Kikyo before this? You two haven't been laughing behind my back? Is there something going on that I should know about?"_

_"Are you all right? She didn't do anything to hurt you, did she?"_

_"Did you like her kiss?"_

_"How did you know where I was?"_

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><p>He remembered that moment, he had hurt her and yet she had been able to trust him. And then he knew that he loved her. He didn't want to see her sad or suffering. He wanted her to be always smiling and full of energy. He wanted her to feel as good as he ever felt when he was by her side.<p>

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><p><em>"Don't even think about breaking it, Inuyasha. These things are too expensive. I can't be spending money like that. We have to see to our future."<em>

_"If there's no way to get out of here before it gets dark, sit on the blanket while the ride stops. That way none of the blood will stain the floor."_

_"Don't push yourself, Inuyasha."_

_"You can't do this to me, Inuyasha… You can't do this to me!"_

_"Inuyasha, you don't have to shout."_

_"Shut up." Kagome's voice sounded cold and clearly offended._

_"Don't go."_

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><p>That was Kagome. His sweet Kagome. She was so changing, she could be angry, grumpy, inquisitive, bossy… but she was sincere, cheerful and she was always seeking the good in her friends. She was someone that would never stop surprising him.<p>

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><p><em>"What are you talking about, Inuyasha? I just want to talk. It was all so sudden… what happened? Why did you decide to leave so suddenly? Are you hiding something from me? Are you all right?"<em>

_"The truth doesn't kill, Inuyasha." She shook her head with shame but she needed to know. She needed to know what was happening with him. "Is that the reason you left?" she asked cautiously. "And I imagine it has something to do with me… Is it something bad or something I should worry about? Were you the one who hurt him or who attempted to do him harm? Did you know it at the moment? Did you know that would happen?"_

_"Give him back." Kagome's voice trembled with anger. "I order you to give me back my father!" Despite the tone of voice, she barely spoke above a whisper. But she was angry and out of control._

_"Then I order you to die."_

_"Do it."_

_"Don't go! I'm sorry!" gasped Kagome, between sobs, looking almost pleading. Inuyasha looked at her, surprised and with a deep, profound relief in his heart. Kagome didn't hate him. "I didn't mean it- I… I don't know what I was thinking. I- I just… you- you won't hurt yourself, right?" She continued sobbing at the same time she stood up, helped by Kikyo. "Don't listen that order, I don't want you to die- I…"_

_"Then don't go," was the final order from Kagome, who freed herself from Kikyo's embrace and got near Inuyasha. _

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><p>That moment had been really hard for both of them. They were both miserable with a past in common. And she had told him to die! But then she had retracted it. It was then when they could start all over again. They learned to get over the past together.<p>

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><p><em>"It isn't humiliating to release your suffering. You told me to not drown myself in my own suffering, don't force yourself to do the same thing; don't hold in your suffering anymore. Here I am."<em>

_"Inuyasha, don't be rude." _

_"Don't be exaggerated Inuyasha, he just wanted to chat with us for a while. Actually, you were the ones being rude to him."_

_"Why would it have to matter to you, Inuyasha?" _

_"May I know what you are doing with my blanket in this place? At this hour of night?" she said, annoyed, while taking back the object from Inuyasha. "I swear it, Inuyasha you've been acting really weird the entire day."_

_"Let him go! Inuyasha, let go Hojou at this moment! Inuyasha!"_

_"Inuyasha, don't apologize. I shouldn't have ordered…" Kagome interrupted the hanyou and then she lowered her head, with her eyes still closed. _

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><p>Even if that encounter with Hojou had taken him near to death, it had been the same Kagome who had taken care of him and waited for him to recover. She was always taking care of him… since the beginning it had been that way.<p>

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><p><em>"Don't even think about it, Inuyasha!" she scolded, sending him an angry glare. <em>

_"That's the point, Inuyasha," said Kagome, resuming her work. "If we want to go out, nobody can recognize us, we don't know if Naraku has spies around the city, what if he discovers that we're still alive? We'll pretend to be Lady Kaede's nephews and nieces and we will be able to go to the cemetery without any problems… Mom may be overreacting with all this but it never hurts. Now, stay still."_

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><p>Even during the hard times, when they were hiding, she managed to always keep her smile, she was trying to keep going with life as calmly as possible… it was curious how every single order from her had never been something so important… they were more like petitions that everybody made once in a while.<p>

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><p><em>"In-Inuyasha… don-don't move," whispered the girl while closing her eyes with pain. Then she heard thuds and groans from Inuyasha.<em>

_"Inuyasha… you mu-must obey… obey every-everything that N-Naraku and his minions tell you to do."_

_"Don't talk like this is the last time we'll see each other…"_

_"Don't ask impossible things, Inuyasha," she sobbed._

_"Inuyasha, calm down. I'm here. We'll get out of this."_

_"Dammit! Let go of me! Inuyasha- Inuyasha you can move!"_

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><p>Inuyasha let go the last fragment of crystal and looked towards the lady that had been with him during all that time at his side.<p>

"There's something I remember that my mother always said about me, when I was a pup." spoke Inuyasha, smiling with a calm face.

The woman smiled at the same time, she didn't need any explanation, she had seen all of the orders and she was very grateful that that girl was so impulsive. This had to work.

Inuyasha took one of the fragments again and pressed it inside his hand, reviving Kagome's order.

_"Then I order you to die."_

"I'm sorry if I disappoint you, Kagome. But I will not die."

_"Do it."_

"It doesn't matter if you insist. I won't."

_"Don't go! I'm sorry!" gasped Kagome, between sobs, looking almost pleading. Inuyasha looked at her, surprised and with a deep, profound relief in his heart. Kagome didn't hate him. "I didn't mean it- I… I don't know what I was thinking. I- I just… you- you won't hurt yourself, right?" She continued sobbing at the same time she stood up, being helped by Kikyo. "Don't listen that order, I don't want you to die- I…"_

"Oh, believe me Kagome. I will listen to whatever I want. It's my choice. And I choose to go back. I never did anything to hurt myself. It wasn't for me. I didn't want to die when Naraku shot me. Everything will be all right, Kagome. I'm coming back."

The fragment of crystal began to glow and Inuyasha felt tired and hurt. He had forgotten of the injuries that Naraku and the seven warriors had made.

Despite the pain, he felt happy. It was the proof that he needed to know that he was going back. He looked at the lady one last time, with a small smile on his face.

"My mother used to say that I was a very determined and disobedient pup. She never had so much right." Those were his last words at that place.

The sight of the darkness and the woman disappeared and instead he was looking at a wall. He felt his entire body hurting, aching and numb. His muscles and bones were crying in agony, but at the same time he had so much strength and adrenaline. There wasn't any time. He knew now that he didn't have any more time to spare.

Not even thinking now, Inuyasha stood up, turned over his heels and ignored all the blood that began to pour from his injuries again and the pain that shot all over his body.

He extended his claws and looked towards the only one responsible for all of this.

It all happened in less than a second.

His claws went through Naraku's chest, which let his arm down and shoot towards the floor, releasing an agonized scream.

Inuyasha didn't stop because Naraku was a human, he didn't feel his strength weakened because he wanted to hurt a human. There wasn't any pain coming from the shackle because he had just gone against one of his former owner's order. There was nothing to prevent him from doing justice.

He gave him an instant death.

Inuyasha removed his hand from Naraku's body, making his blood splash slightly onto Kagome's body, who was on the floor next to him.

His enemy fell towards the floor with a thud that echoed in the silent room.

Yells of triumph from Kikyo, Kouga and Sesshomaru were heard and at the same time, the seven warriors yelled in disbelief and despair.

How the hell had that been possible? Why was Inuyasha still there?

Both youkai took the opportunity and got free from their imprisonment. After the shock, the seven warriors tried to regain control.

The adrenaline running inside Inuyasha made him faster than them. In a matter of seconds, the seven of them had their shackles loose.

Kagome looked up and observed Inuyasha, standing alive in front of her, he was hurt, he was tired, but he was alive. It seemed that he would pass out at any moment, but there he was… Inuyasha was alive!

Fifteen seconds passed and none of the warriors stood up from where they had fallen. Only then did Inuyasha manage to breathe in relief.

It was all over.

It was then when the adrenaline and strength abandoned him.

His legs couldn't stand his own weight and he fell backwards. Kagome managed to catch him before he hit the floor and kneeled beside him.

The only thing Inuyasha was capable to feel at that moment was pain in every single one of his cells.

Physical and emotional pain.

But pain… pain was good, right?

It was Kikyo the first one to react and, with Sesshomaru's help, went out to look for help, a phone, a cop, an ambulance, anything!

Kagome was half-calling, half-screaming at Inuyasha, who had apparently passed out. She took his hand between hers and began to rub her thumb finger against it, as she always did.

Kouga, after make sure that the injuries in his legs weren't life-threatening, began to group the warriors' bodies and Naraku, throwing them against one of the walls, not caring to have respect or be careful with them. He just wanted to have more space for them.

"Kouga, please help me. I hear sirens. I think Kikyo managed to get someone, we must get them down," she spoke signaling Miroku, who was also unconscious. "They need immediate treatment."

Inuyasha was alive. How? They didn't know. The only thing they needed to know at that moment was that he needed to receive treatment on his injuries at that very instant.

Inuyasha was breathing hard and forcefully, wanting to capture air no matter what. He complained and grunted while moving him because of his injuries, but that was good.

Because it meant that there was life running inside of him.

* * *

><p>He opened his eyes and it took a moment for him to realize where he was.<p>

He observed the white ceiling, a constant beep was hurting his ears and Kagome's soft breathing could be heard beside him.

It was a hospital room… he was in a hospital.

Inuyasha tried to move but it was impossible. His body was almost completely covered with bandages and there was plaster around his chest, both legs and right arm. He had a pair of needles stuck in his left arm and a bandage on his head. A patch on his right cheek completed the picture.

And he had never felt better before in his life.

"Hi," he heard Kagome's soft voice and observed her at his left. There she was, sitting on a near chair with a magazine on her lap. "How do you feel?"

"More alive than ever," his voice came thick and he realized that his lips were all parted. "How long-?"

"It took three days to stabilize you. You had lost a lot of blood and you had seriously damaged internal organs, not to mention that you had broken several ribs and your legs bones and your arm…" Kagome fell silent when she remembered how she had felt when everything had calmed down and she had realized how grave Inuyasha's situation had been. It had been almost a miracle that he had survived all of that. "After that, you spent a whole week sleeping."

"I needed a good nap," joked the half demon, causing Kagome to smile. "And the guys?" he asked, after a moment in silence. He began to remember, Naraku and the seven warriors were dead. But he recalled seeing Miroku unconscious and he was sure that he had smelled Kikyo's blood. "How's Kikyo?"

"They're all fine. Miroku recovered in a couple of days from that poison Mukotsu threw at him and Kikyo is recovering very well, she's at home. The wound in her hand will heal soon.

"How is it that a hospital accepted to treat me?" Kagome's smile grew even more.

She placed her hand on Inuyasha's neck in a soft movement and he was surprised to feel the touch of her skin directly. There wasn't any cold metal, there wasn't any shackle.

He remembered then the limbo's guardian and he began to chuckle, softly because of the pain, but soon he didn't care about that and began to laugh openly, causing Kagome to worry that he would disturb other patients or doctors.

"Inuyasha, keep quiet, be silent. Inuyasha!"

"Oh no, Kagome. Those days are over. Those days are over!" he exclaimed with joy, letting his head rest on the pillow and he relaxed his entire body. "I'm free. For the first time in five hundred years I'm free! Kagome I'm free! Hell yeah!"

The girl sighed between happy and irritated – she knew that the doctors would soon appear threatening to sedate him if he wasn't silent – but she had to admit that seeing Inuyasha so happy… seeing him with so much life inside of him, so free – as he didn't got tired of shouting – was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

There would be time in the future to speak of what had happened. There would be a moment to worry about how to deal with the other girls wanting to know how they could release their Slaves.

They would even have time to speak with her mother, eventually, to inform her that maybe in the near future she would be a grandma. Because the world was stupid if anyone believed that they wouldn't be together after all the things they have lived.

There was time to do anything. Even to go to the cinemas – they would still have to deal with the 'hanyou and not a human' thing, but he wasn't a Slave anymore.

There were no more shackles or chains. No more problems for it…

Inuyasha calmed down after a while and looked at Kagome with his eyes shining with love and pure bliss. She got closer to him and, being careful to not hurt him, placed a kiss on his forehead, making Inuyasha close his eyes and enjoy the caress. His senses were on the surface and every little thing, even that silly bee that kept hitting the window's glass, was wonderful.

Yeah, he had all the time in the world to enjoy each and every one of the little things that life was giving to him. But he was unwilling to waste any second of that time.

And he would start with a small 'order' that he was sure would make Kagome's mother shriek with excitement.

Because he wouldn't made a request. Oh no, the great Inuyasha wasn't for those delays. Kagome would be his as soon as he could leave that hospital.

Oh yes. He had already collected several ideas to get revenge for those moments when Kagome Higurashi had taken advantage of her 'powers' over him while being his owner. This time, she would know the real Inuyasha.

He would never again be the Slave of the destiny or the tricks of the time. He was now his own master and had total control in his life.

He grinned while kissing the girl calmly.

Fine, he could delay his plans for a day or two, for the time being he wanted to enjoy all of this.

And he swore that for all the sacred things in the world he would do it.

.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.

**Final Author Notes:**

_And this is it. I finished, I can't believe it, when I first wrote the story in Spanish I was totally lost at how to end it and then I said to myself that I should let it flow and enjoy it, since there's only one finale for every story and only one finale to write. And I enjoyed it. I was crying while writing the original author notes because this was the first story that filled me so much, it is a story that's very important to me and I couldn't believe at that time that it had finally been finished. But** there's still the epilogue to come and a small extra**. Some people didn't like what I did with this ending, claiming that it had been 'very Disney-style' but anyway this is what I wrote, this is what I felt when I wrote the original story and that's how it'll stay._

_Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed Slavery at any point of it ^^ I love reading all your comments and it was really fun to do this. I'm not sure when I will publish another story in English, maybe I'll translate my one-shots and stuff like that, but it's not sure, it all depends on my time and mood LOL but it'll always be something that will help me to practice English =)_

_Anyway, thanks for all your support, see you in the epilogue! ^^_


	23. Epilogue: Freedom

**Author notes: **No, this wasn't abandoned. It was SO FREAKING HARD to translate this chapter, it took me over a month! TT-TT and I'm sorry about that. But hey, I did it! And it's a really long chapter so I hope you enjoy it xDU

All my incoherent speaking will be at the bottom of this LOL I hope you enjoy the epilogue! =D and don't worry, all your doubts will be cleared in here ;D I hope at least.

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><p><strong>Disclaimer<strong>: Besides the plot line, I don't own anything. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Yomiuri TV Corporation. I'm not getting any profit from this story; this was just made for fun.

**Warning**: Maybe there is bad language? I'm not so sure what you consider bad language... ^^U

**Thanks to: **My beta reader, PandaStarz, for her wonderful work on this chapter.

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><p><strong>Slavery.<br>Author: **MikoAucarod

**Epilogue: Freedom.**

* * *

><p>Watching them work so hard made him feel like a burden.<p>

Well, no matter how much everyone said that he wasn't a burden, he couldn't help but feel that way sometimes.

How long had it been? How many years had gone by since Naraku's and his minions' death? Ten – no, fifteen years.

How funny it was to realize that now time didn't matter anymore, when before he had counted every second of his "imitation of life", as he used to call it, and remembered every single second that he was a Slave. A despicable and miserable Slave.

But not anymore.

Sesshomaru smiled with calm, resting his head against the trunk of the tree he was sitting at that moment. His favorite tree of the entire house.

A Sakura tree.

His gaze darkened for an instant, because of the sudden memories that came to him. Mrs. Abi used to joke about it, that she was sure that he would never have Alz-heimer's because not anyone could endure over a thousand years of memories.

Yet, he didn't need to go that far. He only used to remember the last 5 or 6 centuries of his existence. Sometimes to calm himself and other times to punish and torture himself.

He distractedly moved his left hand, which had a ring on his ring finger, until he touched his neck, where he began to trace imaginary lines where the shackle used to be.

A shackle that he no longer used.

"Sesshomaru!" He heard Kagura's calling for him inside the house. "Where has that man gone now? Sesshomaru! Hurry up or we're going to be late! We need to go with Kagome and the others!"

"It's no use if I go," he whispered, half smiling. The only thing they had been doing the last five years was unburying graves.

And he wasn't allowed to help because every other man preferred for him to take care of the girls or maintain control over the place.

He wasn't fooled. The only thing they wanted was for him to not dig because that meant that he would take off his shirt for comfort, and that only managed to make the girls forget completely about the world.

No, he wasn't egocentric, but that was his only conclusion. Why? Because that was what had happened the first time they went to search Slaves in the graves. Even Inuyasha's wife had been looking at him with awe and curiosity, and the next day, Miroku, Kouga and the half-demon had asked him – mostly begged him and tried to force him – to take care of the girls or transport material.

As the years passed those tasks had changed to taking control over everything, supervising everyone, and making sure that they were doing their jobs, and giving instructions and directions to the carriers, maintaining order and respect for the dead bodies that were exhumed and organizing the trips and excavations from all over the world.

He was a complete business man.

Yet, he felt that he wasn't doing anything. This wasn't his style, he preferred physical work and wanted to make sure that the Slaves that were rescued from their graves received the attention that their bodies needed.

He wanted to make sure that she wasn't there.

"There you are," spoke a young woman. Kanna, 23 years old now, had a beautiful and long silver hair that reached a little below her waist. Her face had matured but still showed that sparkle from her adolescence. The girl was standing at the door that led towards the garden. "My sister is looking for you, uncle Sesshomaru. She says it's late."

"I'm coming, Rhin."

"Rhin?" asked Kanna, with a small frown. She looked at him with pity, but soon she moved her gaze towards somewhere else. She knew he hated it when people pitied him.

Sesshomaru face palmed softly. Because he had been so suddenly brought from his memories he couldn't help but associate his niece with the one that had been his daughter… how would she look at her age? Would she be as beautiful as Kanna? Would she have grown up as a lady with manners? Would she look like Sarah…? So many questions…

"Do you think- you think that she may be at one of the graves?" asked the young albino, timidly.

Sesshomaru closed his eyes and sighed. He didn't know what he preferred: To not find her at all, to find a grave that belonged to her… or to find her as a Slave that had spent over five hundred years inside a grave, completely alone and surrounded by putrefaction.

He didn't know what he wanted.

"Let's go," was all he said while standing up and getting away from the only place in the entire house that could bring him peace.

* * *

><p>Miroku woke up, shaking. He just had another nightmare. Shippo, the 'small' adoptive child of Inuyasha and Kagome had stolen Sango from him and she had said that she preferred to be with a strong and sexy young youkai instead of with an old and stupid monk.<p>

That had been a low punch.

"Miroku, go back to sleep." Sango yawned when she felt her husband moving at the other side of the bed. "We have-" she stretched her arm to take and look the clock of the bedside table. – "… we have to deal with a furious Kagome for oversleeping! What are you waiting for? Move your lazy ass!" After her scream she began running around the entire room, searching for her clothes and stuff that would be needed today.

In less than two minutes, Sango had gotten dressed, ran to the kitchen and now was jumping around the house with a piece of toast in her mouth, her hair brush in her left hand and some bags in her right hand while trying to put her tennis shoes on.

Miroku was still sitting on their bed, staring through the dormitory's room at how his woman was moving around. He couldn't help but smile at her. He looked at the clock. It was 2 PM.

Oh well, he could later explain their friends why had they overslept, even if that meant that his gorgeous wife would be hitting and kicking him all the way later.

A gorgeous wife that hadn't been easy to get… honestly, after they had given him his freedom, let's just say that all the 'stay away from my butt' orders were no longer effective on him… it had been a big mistake for him to use his 'cursed hands' excuse while Sango's father had been watching.

The hard part hadn't been to deal with him – he was already accustomed to hear his claims because of his 'perverted ways' with all the ladies – but the man had almost thrown him from the house, even when Sango had sworn that Miroku would never do that again.

… It was a bad thing that Sango sometimes swore over things that weren't entirely true.

Finally, a couple of years later, Sango's father had allowed them to go out and a year later they had gotten married.

His wedding was also a really cool story, oh, just remembering all those beautiful ladies of honor…

Why had he woken up so suddenly? He couldn't remember it anymore.

Miroku yawned and began to get dressed, thinking on what they would need to do today.

"Maybe we'll do the same thing we've been doing the last five years."

Yes, they had spent the last five years unburying graves where they knew Slaves had been forced to stay, with their death owners.

That task would have taken them centuries to accomplish if it weren't for the valuable help from Mr. Kei who during his travels and investigations had found a couple of elder youkai slaves who were hidden around the world. They had registered, almost since the beginning of time, every single Slave that had been buried with their owners.

They had been taking those registries hoping for the day that those Slaves could be saved from their fate. That time was now.

It was so easy, but the task would have definitely been impossible to accomplish if it weren't for they. And Kagome and his friends were really grateful that people – youkai – like them existed and had perfectly done their job.

* * *

><p>"Kouga, do you think I look fat with this suit?"<p>

"Of course not, Ayame. Besides we're going to be among dust and mud the whole day so I don't think that appearances are the most important thing right now."

"I'm a person who works in a very, very important place at the government, Kouga. Obviously, I must look impeccable."

The ookami punched his head against the steering wheel, irritated. Ayame was sooooo stubborn.

"Watch out were you're driving, idiot!" yelled the red haired girl, and at the next moment, the car veered sharply, dodging an old woman that was crossing the street and Kouga continued driving as if nothing had happened.

"I don't know why you are so worried," he spoke, faking innocence and staring at every part of the street, except towards the girl sitting beside him.

Ayame snorted with irritation. If only she could throw him against a wall or something! Kouga was sooooo, sooooo childish.

… Maybe that's why it had taken him over ten years to propose to her?

Stupid Kouga.

"Oh, come on, Ayame. Don't be mad."

"I'm not _mad_…"

"Furious."

"Thank you."

A few seconds later they were both laughing insanely. Those situations were so common between them.

"Today we're going to work at the North District, right?" asked Ayame, after a moment, visibly relaxed.

"That's right. That's one of the last areas to check up, according to the registries. Anyway, it was only thanks that this movement got a wonderful response from part of the society and politicians, social groups and that stuff, that we managed to do this around the whole world. Heck, in other countries they've even finished. They work better than us, I'm telling you. You, with your 'oh so important place in the government' should already know that."

Ayame stuck out her tongue at Kouga playfully and began to read her papers.

At first, when Inuyasha had explained to them the secret to releasing Slaves, Kagome had insisted on releasing everyone. But that wasn't an easy task at all.

As the years passed they had finally discovered what to do, but it was only them, their families and friends. The group had grown when the people from their jobs began to help them too. It was a large group, hundreds of people, maybe, but that wasn't enough to go against the entire world.

Inuyasha was the one who had to make Kagome understand that at least at that time it wasn't possible for them to do something as big as that.

That's why Kagome hadn't said the order yet. Not until all of the Slaves were safe and sound.

With time, the whole ordeal of the search of freedom for the Slaves was a hot topic into the society and in the end things began to finally move forward and go as Kagome and the others had wanted.

Now, in the present, there were a lot of organizations around the world doing the exact thing they were doing. This had turned from a 'movement of a bunch of teenagers' into a social concern in the world.

Kei had helped them a lot when the problem of digging the tombs came out to the light. It had taken them years to received the permission to open the graves, build the group of people who would be doing so, get materials, and above all, have a very decent position in the world. Only being a group of teenagers and young adults wasn't going to move anybody.

And they weren't a bunch of teenagers anymore. They were professionals; they had studied hard and had escalated into the high ranks of society.

For the first time in their lives, they accepted that what Kikyo had once considered to be the most important thing in the world was now helping them a lot. Without power and money, this would never have worked out.

* * *

><p>"All right, I'll begin with these catacombs," spoke Inuyasha, while tying his long and silver hair in a low ponytail. Then he took a couple of daggers – he worked best with his claws and small weapons than with those 'stupid and ridiculous shovels that can break with the slightest effort'.<p>

Kagome, a beautiful woman of 30 years old, smiled at the man in front of her and began to organize the people that were already in the place, telling them which tombs to register and how to proceed if they make any discovery.

"It's weird. Sesshomaru's never late," she spoke, a few hours later, walking towards her thirsty husband, who gratefully took the canteen with water that she had offered him.

"Well… he may be scared. Have you ever thought-?"

"That Rin could be in any of these places? I did, and I also revised every single one of the name lists of the Slaves buried with their owners, and even the name lists of the people buried in here. In none of those places was Rin's name."

"Maybe as the years passed they changed her name. As I was once calledIsrael, Rin could have been easily called Rinka or Amelia… or I don't know, Maria."

"Inuyasha don't be ridiculous," smiled Kagome. It was highly improbable that Rin could have eve been called Maria. "She may not even be in here, just as Totousai said… Rin may be dead since over 500 years ago."

Inuyasha kept digging absently. That was probably the true but… even if Sesshomaru would never admit it, the only reason why the youkai had accepted to be so active with this was to find any clue that could give him hope to find her alive… or to confirm once and for all her death.

"Until we can't find her body…" whispered Inuyasha, mentally adding the possibility that if the youkais had eaten her, their search would be futile and endless.

A while later, Sango and Miroku finally arrived at the place. Sango was at the border of hysteria having already imagined over 300 ways of death at her friend's hands.

That's why Shippo had come to her rescue and distracted Kagome asking her for help allowing Sango to hide between the people already working.

Sesshomaru and Kouga, with their respective mates arrived a few minutes later. Sesshomaru, as usual, studied the registries of that day, began to organize the people who was arriving at the moment, read informs and notifications of advance in the rest of the world.

God bless wireless internet.

"I just received a report from Kikyo, in Egypt," Sesshomaru spoke in loud voice, getting the attention of the people near of him. "The quantity of Slaves over there is huge. In the first four hours today, they have already found seventy slaves."

"That gives us over 130,000 on this year." Kouga sighed with irritation. From all the ancient cultures, China and Egypt had been the most problematic for them. They had had this habit of always burying the pharaohs or high society people with their servants and Slaves. AtChina, the emperors were buried with their warriors and sometimes they were even killed. At those places, 70% of the graves contained only mummies and remains of glowing stones, despite the fact that they knew thanks to the records that there had been Slaves in those places. "It was a good thing that Inuyasha insisted in find a deserted island that could be adapted to the necessities of a society to send them there. I don't know what the people ofEgyptwould do with a sudden elevation of 130,000 people in a year."

Sesshomaru nodded slightly, at the same time that he wrote a message to Kikyo, thanking her for all her hard work and effort and hoping that they weren't having any trouble over there.

"At first I thought that it was because of that marathon of Gilligan'sIslandbut the idea wasn't bad at all. The islands near Oceania and a few more between Europe andAmericacame in handy and were perfect."

"We have found a grave with three kids in it! I repeat, we have three Slaves in here!" They could hear from the radio in Kagome's hand. Everyone stopped at that instant.

"Where are you?" asked the woman with a mix of happiness and fear. Kid Slaves? They hadn't had found too many until now and it was always so painful to think that could have they gone through.

"We're at Sector Seven, right after the fountain of- Ah, Mr. Sesshomaru, thank you for your help." They could hear again and everyone looked with disbelief how a small cloud of dust was spreading over the spot where a few seconds ago the taiyoukai had been standing.

"…he could be more discreet." Kouga sighed while returning to his labors. Everyone smiled softly and continued with their tasks.

A few minutes later, Sesshomaru returned to that place, carrying in his both arms two small kids and clinging on his stole a small girl. The three of them seemed to be more scared than sick or malnourished.

"These ones were lucky. There wasn't a restriction order and a small spring leaked into the grave and from it they kept drinking water. They weren't a lot of years inside of it either, only thirty years, nothing more."

Nothing more?

Yet, no one asked that. They had already found Slaves, including kids, woman and old people who had spent centuries with no food, no water, and without being able to die because the order had been given to 'Always keep watch over the body'.

And to be able to attend them at the hospitals specially prepared for this, Kagome had to start repeating the long and endless monologue that proved that she was the responsible – and therefore, some kind of owner – of this whole movement, giving them the opportunity to get out of the grave without suffering because of the stone.

At first, Kanna had asked why couldn't she just order them to die and take off their shackles at that place? She then received a response from Miroku, who said that because of the deplorable state of their bodies, resurrection would only bring them suffering for seconds, maybe minutes, maybe even hours, but then they would die from the brutal starvation.

If they weren't dead yet, besides the order of keeping watch over the body, they were hoping to have a second chance to live.

And that's what Inuyasha and the others intended to give them.

"-in front of the law and therefore in front of the society, in which you are formally part of since 7 years ago, I'm the one in charge, therefore you can understand that my word is the law, for everyone. That's why in the terms of Slavery, I'm also your owner. That's why I order you to ignore any previous order that can be chaining you to this spot or that could hurt you if you get away from this place and also I order you to come with me so you can receive the necessary treatment for your survival." A couple of hours later, a really tired Kagome was reciting in front of a man who seemed to be around the age of 40, but according to the registries he had already spent 300 years inside that grave.

There wasn't even a body to take care of!

That's what hurt them the most: knowing the fact that those Slaves had to stay for all eternity inside a closed space, taking care of a body that would disappear in ten years, maybe.

What was wrong with the world?

That's why it wasn't weird to find out that lots of the Slaves had already decided to die. If there wasn't an order not to kill or hurt themselves, obviously as time passed they had preferred to end everything once and for all.

More than one time, thousands of times, they had opened graves where the rests had already rotted and there were only remnants of stone and metal as a proof that inside that place had been someone suffering without being heard by anybody.

This wasn't easy to understand and even less to see.

That's why Inuyasha was the one who used to take care of the most ancient tombs, because of fact that he didn't felt as bad because he was able to understand them. He didn't feel sadness or pain about it, on the contrary, even if it wasn't something good to kill yourself, he was at least calm knowing that they hadn't continued suffering and agonizing in solitude for so many years.

That's why he was shocked with what he found at the tomb number thirteen that he dug that day.

"..._you remind me of a time_…" Inuyasha was singing softly, while breaking the stone. "..._when I felt ali_-" Inuyasha stopped dead in his tracks. There was a scent coming from the inside of the tomb he was digging in. It wasn't only dirt and dead bodies. There was someone alive in there.

"Slave found inside the grave 49 of Sector 5! Prepare the equipment to take him or her to the hospital," he spoke through his radio and began to dig again after receiving a response from Kagura, who was closest to him.

Suddenly, the ground collapsed and Inuyasha fell inside some kind of underground cave. It wasn't so weird, since the recent graves were built over ancient lands. If it wasn't for those blessed registries they would have never found this place.

Coughing a bit because of the dirt and dust, Inuyasha stood up and began to inspect the place. It was dark and not even with his enhanced sight could he distinguish anything.

He took out the lamp from one of his pockets and turned it on, illuminating the stretch passage which led to a wall on which a message was written, completely illegible because of the time but it was without any doubt the entrance to that grave.

"Inuyasha! Are you down there?"

"Drop a rope and be careful, the stone is weak," he called out through the hole above him. The place was at least 10 meters underground.

The hanyou walked towards the great wall and, after a small prayer and a thought of 'forgive me for entering your resting place' – that was the very least that they had to do, because many religions had all snapped at this 'barbaric act' – and with his hands in fists he punched the wall and made a great hole in it. It was so easy.

Inside the place, there was a completely rotten wood coffin. It gave the impression that if he touched it, it would fall into dust.

"Who's there?" An old woman spoke, his voice raspy.

Inuyasha moved the lantern towards the voice, careful to move slowly so the light wouldn't hurt the vision of whoever was in that place. There she was; an old and decrepit woman with long gray hair and some kind of purple tunic covering her battered body was trying to stand, with no avail.

Thanks to the light from the lantern and the one entering through the hole Inuyasha had made, she could distinguish the silhouette of the man in front of her. When she saw his ears, her tired eyes widened in surprise.

"Is that you, Inuyasha?" she asked, scaring the half-demon.

Now that he thought about it… that scent…

"Tsubaki?"

The old lady's eyes almost popped up from her head and then tears began to form on them. With weakened steps, she got closer to Inuyasha, studying him.

The man was no less shocked than she.

"What the hell happened to you?" he asked, not able to entirely believe that she was there.

"Inuyasha," Kagura spoke, getting inside the grave. "The stretcher is in position and we can move out the-" the girl fell silent when the old woman began to cry and, with so much pain, she hugged Inuyasha's waist. Her head barely reached Inuyasha's chest.

"I'm so sorry, I beg your forgiveness! For all this time I-… I had no idea that-… I was such a stupid, please forgive m-" A cough attack reached Tsubaki's throat and her legs lost all her strength. Inuyasha placed his arms around her, avoiding her fall. On his face there was no repulsion, no hate, only worry for the person in his arms.

"Inuyasha, who is she?" asked the red-eyed girl, observing Inuyasha softly patting the woman's back, helping her to control her cough.

"Kagura, you're witnessing the reencounter of an ex-Slave with his first owner." He almost laughed at Kagura's shocked expression.

Tsubaki managed to calm down and control her cough. It was then she realized her position. She was ashamed and incredulous at the way Inuyasha was treating her: softly and gently. If someone had ever said to her that he would someday treat her like that, she would have laughed in their face.

"What was your last order?" asked the hanyou, looking at the old woman. She really looked so delicate, fragile and weak.

"Take care of the body," she whispered with hate, staring at the remnants of the place where the body had been.

"As you can see, there's nobody in there anymore, so there's nothing trapping you in here. Come with me." Inuyasha spoke calmly, surprising Kagura and Tsubaki. After a few shacky steps outside the crypt, Tsubaki closed her eyes hoping for some kind of pain or a punch, but nothing happened.

"… what are you going to do with me now?" she asked, while they walked through the tunnel. "How is it you're here? Am I already dead? Is that the famous light at the end of the tunnel?"

Inuyasha couldn't help but smile at her comments.

"No, you're not dead. We will take you to a place where they'll attend you until you recover all your strength and then… well, we'll see." He spoke with a small smile on his face.

"If everything turns out well, we'll give you your freedom." Kagura added. She was looking towards Inuyasha out of the corner of her eye.

She knew Tsubaki's story and she knew about everything that witch had done to Inuyasha and yet, there he was helping her? She couldn't help but think that at any moment he would hurt her or take away the shackle, or something. Anything.

But nothing like that happened. Inuyasha was just helping an old woman to walk.

"What happened to you?" he asked while helping her to lay down on the stretcher, placing then a cloth over her eyes, so that the sun's light wouldn't burn her eyes after spending so much time in the darkness.

Tsubaki touched the cloth and sighed, with pain.

"… My father. He wanted to create a bond with the domains of the west. But I- well… I didn't want to get married with the son of that landowner." Inuyasha managed to read in between lines: 'I was totally obsessed with you.' "My father knew about that… that's why without me noticing it, he told you that I had died and ordered you to leave, giving you to that merchant who took you to who knows where, far away from me. I never allowed that man to have me and before he could do anything to me, I used one of my spells. I turned into this decrepit woman, thinking that I could escape this way… but then they confused me with one of the women that worked there and I was soon turned into a Slave… I was denigrated to work for the man who should have been my husband. After some time, they discovered I could use the Black Magic and forced me to forget everything I knew about it. I could not turn back to who I was… and then when he died, the four of us who served him were forced to be buried with him."

Inuyasha looked again towards the crypt, if there were more Slaves in there, then he had to-

"… the other girls killed themselves a few years later. They couldn't endure the agony, the endless hunger and thirst… I'm the only one who remained. As the years passed I could understand you, Inuyasha and I discovered that what I did was terrible. I don't know what the hell I had been thinking…" Tears began to flow from Tsubaki's eyes. "I thought that- I thought that if I remained that way, maybe someday I could be forgiven for all the atrocities I had done to you and everyone else."

Inuyasha took a seat next to the stretcher and looked at Tsubaki with pity. Her voice sounded so broken and sincere. If that was all true, and he didn't doubt it was, Tsubaki had spent over 500 years inside that crypt. Alone. Having only her sins, remorse and thoughts keeping her company. She had been completely alone.

"You were very brave for not taking the easiest way," Inuyasha spoke after a few seconds, pulling the rope softly, letting the people outside now that they could already pull out the stretcher. "It's already over, Tsubaki. Everything's over. Everything's going to be okay."

Tsubaki nodded in the middle of her crying and the people outside began to move her out of that place.

Once the people helping them took her to one of the hospitals, Kagura walked towards Inuyasha.

"I'm honestly surprised for your maturity… before you couldn't even stand to hear her name, and now… you forgave her so easily, even after everything she did to you."

Inuyasha, who had been staring at the hole over them and then, with a soft smile, looked towards Kagura.

"In some kind of twisted way, if it wasn't for her I wouldn't have everything I have now… with the passing of the centuries she learned things and learned them the hard way. Her apology, her pleading was sincere. If it wasn't for her I wouldn't be here, helping the others. I wouldn't have you guys. I wouldn't have Kagome."

Kagura smiled and hopped on Inuyasha's back who with a simple jump took them out of that place without any trouble. Now came the most boring part of the job. Fill again the tomb.

Even if there nothing had been in that place since centuries ago.

* * *

><p>All right, things hadn't been easy and the work had been really hard. But they had finally managed to finish with all of that. After over fifteen years of work they had finally found all the Slaves that had survived until now and they all had a new place to live in the outside world.<p>

Almost all of them had been placed in the group of islands that they had adapted for them. This came in handy for the ones that had spent centuries locked at their graves; the modern society would have been too much for them.

It was like having small villages in the middle of the forest: not poor, and well-established without being that consumerist and capitalist society that governed the world almost completely.

Since this was a 'new country' or continent, or whatever they liked to call it, they had a new political regiment: An absolute monarchy, where only one person had the entire authority over all and her word was the law.

They had decided that Kagome should be that person. The idea had been originally from her and knowing her, Inuyasha and the others were sure that this would make her really happy. If she could be able to release them, she would be very happy.

After Naraku's death, everyone had dedicated to study inside the policy branches and their derivatives. They managed to get people who followed the same ideal as them and thanks to the support of Ayame's parents and Higurashi's name they had managed to get a very good position inside the Court of Justice. They were able to create what was now coming to an end.

A new law, a new constitution that made it clear that Slaves where part of the society now and had the same rights as any other living person, because they were alive.

This was a new country, a new regiment.

Once they were sure that all the Slaves were out of danger because of their health, they managed to get to the final step of their plan.

Now it came the most interesting and the most dangerous part of everything.

Give them their freedom.

* * *

><p>"Everything's ready, Kagome. I'm sorry, I should say <em>Queen<em> Kagome," announced Miroku, with a playful smile on his face, making the woman standing next to him frown.

"I must remind you, Miroku, that this 'kingdom' of mine won't last even half an hour. It will be the shortest kingdom you have ever seen."

The former monk smiled again and took Kagome to the balcony where Inuyasha, as always giving her his support, was waiting for them.

They had built a headquarters in that new country formed for the Slaves and from there she would give the first official order of the absolute monarchy.

The first and, hopefully, the last.

Reporters from the entire world were there, broadcasting in live to the whole world. Each and every one of the Slaves would listen to this. They had made sure of that.

Sesshomaru was at that moment in the principal square of Tokyo. Kikyo, Ayame, Kouga, Kagome's mother, everyone, even Kei was helping them from different parts of the world. The entire world was watching this.

And this _HAD_ to work.

Kagome walked closer to the rail of the balcony and, taking Inuyasha's hand, she placed in front of the lectern, looking at the people who were there. All the Slaves who had been relocated there were watching her expectantly. They trusted in her.

_This had to work!_

"I, Kagome Taisho, formerly Higurashi…" she began to speak with a strong and clear voice through the microphone, "…formally present myself before you as your queen, in front of this newly founded government, this absolute monarchy in which above every law I have authority. Without arguments. Not even from your own owners." She added looking straight towards the cameras, clearly speaking for all the Slaves that were out there in the world. "I know that this is crucial for a lot of you and that even some of you won't see this as a good thing. But, since seven years ago, the Organization of the United Nations and the International Organization of Human Rights established a new point that clearly states: 'Any living creature until now known as Slave has the same responsibilities and rights of every single human being.' This means that in front of society and in front of the entire world you're now part of it and you have the same rights as anyone to preserve your dignity. You have the right for the law to protect you and have the same responsibilities as the rest of the world. Your freedom ends when the freedom from the other ones begins. If you want respect, respect others. You're not objects, you – humans, hanyous, youkais – you're living beings. This is written. This is the law."

Kagome was interrupted by the strong applause and claims that emerged from the Slaves with joy. Inuyasha slightly squeezed her hand, giving her comfort.

Truth be told, her nerves were destroying her.

"And because of the earlier said, in front of the law and therefore in front of the society, in which you are formally part of since seven years ago, I'm the one in charge, therefore, you can understand that my word is the law for everyone. That's why in the terms of Slavery, I'm also your owner. And for that I order you, Slaves, to remain calm and to die."

Silence fell over the place and everyone stared at Kagome with incredulity. If it weren't for that order of remaining calm, Inuyasha was sure that at this exact moment a new war would be around the entire world.

Just then a girl of no more than fifteen years raised her hand, and Kagome allowed her to speak.

"We thought that you would help us. You promised that everything would end. Was this what you meant? By killing us you would end with all the trouble?" There was an unmistakable tone of pain and hatred on her voice.

Inuyasha was the one who walked towards the lectern and began to speak in place of Kagome.

"I'm Inuyasha Taisho. I was a Slave and the proof is in my hanyou condition. I'm a hanyou who was born over 500 years ago; my parents were the commandant Inu-no-Taisho and the Princess Izayoi, from the west lands."

Some of the oldest youkais in that place gasped when they recognized him.

"As you can see," he continued, ignoring the murmurs, "I'm not carrying any shackle or stone at this moment." Standing over the rail of the balcony, he picked up the end of his pants and showed his ankles, then his wrists and finally his neck, proving them that he was no longer captive of the Slavery.

Taking his original place behind the lectern, he observed Kagome.

"I got my freedom thanks to this person you see standing next to me and it took us some time to discover the key. I can assure you that she's only looking for the best for you. So please, trust in her when she tells you that you must die. I know it sounds crazy, but it's the truth. With this, you'll get your freedom."

"This is for real?" A new voice could be heard and only Kagome, Inuyasha and Miroku were able to listen to it. It came from the radio that they were carrying.

"Where did that come from?" asked Miroku, taking the artifact from his pocket.

"It came from our side," responded Sango's voice. She was atTokyowith Sesshomaru.

Miroku then ordered the reporters to broadcast what was occurring at that place. There was a big screen at the wall of the headquarters, and from it they could see Sango, kneeling besides an astonished Sesshomaru who, at his feet, had a small girl grasping firmly onto his pants at the height of his knee. She was no more than eight years old, that was for sure, and her eyes were staring at Sango and Sesshomaru with longing.

"What that lady is saying is truth? Can we really be saved?"

"That's Hiroko!" They heard again from the radio. This time it had been Kanna, who was with Kagura atLondon.

Sango then looked at Sesshomaru, who couldn't keep his gaze away from that girl.

There was no doubt. That girl was identical to Rin.

"Are you a Slave, sweetie?" asked Sango. The girl nodded and showed her left ankle. There was a small shackle with a red stone.

"My mom doesn't know that I'm here so please don't tell her," she suddenly said, making the black haired woman look towards the cameras that were pointing at them. There was no way that the mother of this girl wouldn't notice.

"Was it your mom who turned you into a Slave?" she asked, a bit afraid, but Hiroko denied it with a shake of her head.

"I've always belonged to her family, when they have a girl and she can't get married or can't have kids, I'm turned into their daughter."

"What's your name?" asked Sesshomaru, feeling how his body began to tense up. It was becoming clear…

"Depending on my new mom my name is changed. I'm Hiroko at this moment, before this I was Sayuri and before I was Kayla, and before that I was-"

"Have you ever been called Rin?"

"Sesshomaru!" exclaimed Sango. Yeah, it was highly probable that this kid was Rin, but she hadn't reacted at all at Sesshomaru's presence.

The girl frowned a bit, remembering.

"A few years ago I was called Rinoa, but the name of Rin… I can't remember even been called that," she assured, looking again at the taiyoukai. "But, are you really going to release me? I will be able to grow up and be with my family as a normal girl?"

"Well, you'll see-"

"Hiroko!" yelled a woman, going out from the multitude and running until she reached the small kid, hugging her then and moving her away from Sango. "What are you doing with these people? What do you want to do with my baby? Why has that crazy woman ordered them all to die?"

"… if you haven't realized, no one has died yet, lady." Sesshomaru answered coldly, making all the Slaves look between them.

Back in the island, the Slaves were beginning to whisper things like 'It's true, we can't die.' 'No dying, no love, no resuscitate, those are the three orders that we can't grant' 'Then why did she order us that?' and more whispers were left to hear.

Sesshomaru then walked towards the women and kneeled besides the girl, looking at her fondly. That frightened all those who knew him – and the whole world was precisely watching that.

"Everything will be all right, trust in me, ok?"

The girl nodded, not exactly knowing why, but she did. There was something in him that gave her a sense of security.

Almost as if he was her father.

Sesshomaru then took the girl's shackle between his claws and broke it, making the girl fall instantly towards the floor but the taiyoukai was faster and before the mother could even yell he was already standing with Rin safely between his arms.

Because no one could fool him. It didn't matter how many centuries had passed and it mattered even less if she couldn't remember him anymore. That was Rin's scent.

That was his Rin.

A lot of people, during the term of fifteen seconds began to shout alarmed, other ones were angry, and the lady on the floor began to cry, bereaved.

But then the fifteen seconds passed and the girl began to breathe again, opening her eyes and stretching as if she had only been asleep.

"Why is my mom crying?" she asked then, looking towards Sesshomaru. The woman looked at her, with surprise.

"It's nothing, Rin. It's nothing," answered the taiyoukai, placing her on the floor. A lot of reporters moved towards her immediately but Sesshomaru and Sango managed to keep them at bay.

"Let them question her, Sesshomaru, one at a time," spoke Kagome from the other side of the radio, watching like everyone else what had happened.

Sango allowed a young girl reporter who looked less aggressive to pass and she walked towards the small kid.

"Tell us, dear. Did you suffer when they took away the shackle? Did you die? What happened during those fifteen seconds?"

Rin looked with confusion towards Sesshomaru.

"I'm pretty sure that I spent entire days watching my crystals and talking with that woman," she spoke, completely taken aback.

Inuyasha then spoke again through the microphone, catching again the attention from all the cameras. This was some crazy thing for the television people, he was sure.

"When they take away our shackle we enter to a place that you could denominate as a limbo. There's a guardian whose job is to take us to the afterlife or to help us to obtain a new chance to live. That will only happen if there exists an order that directly contradicted tells us: 'Live'.

"Yeah! That's what I did!" exclaimed the small girl, looking towards everyone who surrounded her. "She was a very pretty woman, actually she looked like you, dad." She added, looking again at Sesshomaru, shocking more than one person.

"Rin…"

The girl walked towards her mother and hugged her tightly. Then she whispered some things in her ear, and after a few moments, the lady began to release more tears, but she nodded and after giving her daughter a kiss on her forehead, she stood up, asked Sesshomaru to take care of her, and left.

Just then, Rin stood in front of Sesshomaru.

"Even if I'm a very intelligent girl and I have experienced a lot, I couldn't have been able to remember so many years… five centuries is a long time, but at that place, the guardian told me that I could watch all my memories inside those crystals and that's what I did. I'm so sorry, dad. Please forgive me for forgetting you and sorry for turning out into a Slave. I ran away from those monsters, just like master Jaken told me to, but then I fell into a river. The village I found later was soon attacked by some bad people and they killed us all… since then I had been changing owners."

"Oh, my dear…" Sango spoke, with tears in her eyes. "You have gone through so much."

"The good thing is that years later I was able to find mister Ryukotsei." She continued her tale. "But we never found mister Totousai again and as the centuries passed, mister Ryukotsei asked me to go with a family that he had studied. Their Slaves weren't mistreated and the owner was a good man. Mister Ryukotsei was dying and he needed to make sure that I would be safe. That family received me and since the lady of the place had always wanted a daughter, that's what I became."

Sesshomaru then kneeled besides the small child and hugged her tightly, releasing a drowned sigh. He wouldn't cry and even less in front of the cameras – it would have been a complete joke – but he had to accept that it took a lot of his self-control to not break in there. He had his daughter back, he was holding his small child between his arms.

He had _recovered Rin_, for all the sacred things in the world!

Exclamations at the island were heard through the television stations while several Slaves left aside their doubts and fears and removed their shackles. Many others were still skeptical and frightened when they saw the fall of multiple Slaves to the ground, lifeless. But as the fifteen seconds passed and they stood up, some with tears and other ones with smiles on their faces, the doubt began to disappear.

Inuyasha observed how Tsubaki was doubtful at first, but then she took the shackle between her hands and took it from her neck. A young man besides her avoided her fall towards the floor, and when she woke up, the hanyou was glad to see the first sincere smile projecting even through her eyes.

At the end everyone was convinced, and all the Slaves on the planet got their freedom.

That was the best day for everyone. And the next days, they needed to work really hard, but as in everything, things would always have the good and bad moments.

* * *

><p>A 'Happy Birthday' song could be heard near the beach. Behind a big window there could be seen a small child of black hair and fluffy dog ears at the top of her head. She inhaled with all her might and then expelled the air with all the force her little lungs allowed her to. Five candles at the top of a cake were off.<p>

"Already five!" she exclaimed with a big smile, showing her small fangs at the same time the people around her began clapping.

"Don't make such a scandal, Kaede," Inuyasha said, taking his daughter into his arms; meanwhile, Shippo began cutting the cake and giving pieces to everyone.

Keitaro, his first blood son – and the second in family, since Shippo would always be the eldest – of 12 years old was identical to his father both in looks and in character. He approached Inuyasha and took her sister's hand, taking her then to play with the other kids: The twin sisters Satsuki and Satsuki – daughters of Miroku and Sango – of 8 years each one and their little brother Tarou, of 5 years old. With them there was Kouta, the only child of Ayame and Kouga of 2 years old and Rin who had already turned 13 on last spring but kept playing with the kids to take care of her little brothers: Seijin – 3 years old – and Mayu – a small girl of barely 1 year old.

"This wasn't a scandal at all, Inuyasha," spoke Kikyo, smiling while drinking from her glass. "You saw Rin when, for the first time in over 500 years, she finally celebrated her ninth birthday. First she cried and then smiled; then, she couldn't believe it, and then she cried more. Sesshomaru and Kagura had never been so upset about not knowing how to calm her."

"I don't even want to know how it is going to be for her fifteenth birthday." Miroku smiled, observing all the kids running around the entire beach house.

Inuyasha and Kagome had decided go to live in that house; there, their story as a couple had begun, and it was a beautiful place were their kids could grow up.

It had been already five years since the release of all the Slaves, twenty years already since Naraku's and the seven warriors' death, and, step by step, things had been turning into a relatively normal life.

At least there hadn't been any war or social revolution, and neither had it been a world wide war – as Kouga had predicted it would be, which earned him a few punches from his wife.

It hadn't been easy, and in fact there had even been some conflicts, – some other Slaves died during the next years and a lot more didn't want to use the order of 'death that can bring you to life' – but things had ended well in the end. They had fulfilled the goal they had tried to accomplish.

Inuyasha had said that those Slaves who didn't wake up had been already tired and the only thing they wanted was for their souls to finally rest in peace for all eternity. The Limbo's Guardian wouldn't have let them condemn themselves, he was sure of that. She would have done everything in her power to help them get what was best for them.

Kagome walked towards him with a vase of lemonade and placed it on the dinner table. Inuyasha then hugged her and kissed her forehead softly.

"Do you think everything's all right?" He heard his wife's question and looked at her curiously.

"Why that sudden question? Everything's perfect. They'll know how to redo their life."

Kagome nodded. It was all right. Those former Slaves deserved this second chance after so much suffering during their Slavery.

"We must begin preparing everything for Christmas," Inuyasha commented suddenly, waking her up from her daydreaming.

"So soon? It's not even December yet. We're barely in the middle of November."

"Maybe, but your mother will soon come to visit, also, Kei is coming and you know how crazy she gets if she doesn't see at least a pine tree in the room."

"…A pine in the middle of the beach… who understands my mum?"

Both smiled again and allowed themselves to enjoy the moment.

Kagome's craziest dream had come true, and they had released all the Slaves from their cruel destiny. She had the man she loved and had a beautiful family with him. Her friends were still with her all the time and even if the death of Kaede and old Myouga over a decade ago had hurt them, things were still going as they should. They had both had a long and happy life. Their souls deserved to rest.

And so, Kagome and her friends would go on with their lives, always living a new adventure, having the security that no one and nothing would be able to destroy their happiness.

What else could she ever ask for?

…Maybe the courage enough to tell Inuyasha that soon they'd have another child running around all over the house?

And it wasn't because she was scared of his reaction. On the contrary: she hated being treated as if she were made of crystal when she was pregnant!

"I swear you're sometimes incorrigible…" she whispered with a hint of playfulness in her voice, making Inuyasha look at her with confusion.

"Now what the hell did I do?"

"Nothing, nothing…"

She would eventually find a way to tell him.

For the time being, she had to go and save Sesshomaru, since all the kids had decided that it was time to play with his stole.

"What a family," she said. "What a family!"

* * *

><p><strong>Author Notes:<strong>

When I first wrote this chapter it took me over two days to write the part of the graves… I don't feel this is THE epilogue I was looking for, but maybe because it was really tiring to write it. I didn't want to get all corny at the end, but then I couldn't get it out of my head to do a family reunion, still don't know why. Anyway this is the result, and I want to thank you all for reading and waiting patiently for this upload. Thank you so much for all your lovely messages.

And yeah, for all of you asking about Rin. That was your response ^^ I hope you liked it! That's what was originally intended with that character X3

Thank you so much for all the alerts, favorites, reviews, and your patience, this was my first English project and I think I did my best. I really enjoyed doing this.

I'll publish the 'extra' of Kaede later, I hope it'll be easier to translate and it's about Inuyasha, Miroku, Sesshomaru and Kouga's life with her and it's something I really liked, I hope you like it too ^^ thank you so much again!

But officially **_The Slavery_** has ended. ='3


	24. Omake: Kaede

**Disclaimer**: Besides the plot line, I don't own anything. Inuyasha belongs to Rumiko Takahashi and Yomiuri TV Corporation. I'm not getting any profit from this story; this was just made for fun.

**Warning**: Maybe there is bad language? I'm not so sure what you consider bad language... ^^U

**Thanks to: **All of you for bearing with me!

* * *

><p><strong>Slavery.<br>Author: **MikoAucarod

**Special: Kaede.**

* * *

><p>"Argh! I have no idea of what to write about!" It could be heard a child's whimper coming from one of the many rooms of the mansion… All right, only Inuyasha, who was kneeling outside, working at the huge garden, managed to hear her.<p>

"I think that Miss Kaede has some troubles with her duties." He spoke quietly, as if he didn't wanted to disturb to his lady master. She was at that moment sitting at the garden's table, with a delicate sun umbrella covering her face. She wore a beautiful long dress, with lace and matching scarf. She was the perfect example of a fine lady from the late thirthies. At that moment, she was drinking a cup of tea.

"My precious Kaede? Nonsense, my daughter is a very smart child. She can perfectly work out her duties, as it must be.

For a couple of seconds, the hanyou stared at his mistress with hate. He was honestly impressed at the show of indifference from the woman towards the obvious frustration of the kiddo. It was already the fifth complaint he heard coming from his owner's room!

"Israel, as soon as you finish cleaning up the water fount, make sure that the apple trees and the roses bushes are perfectly trimmed.

"As you said, mistress." He answered rolling his eyes and working again with that hideous water fount. But then, a small, almost invisible smile appeared on his face when he managed to catch a glimpse of Kouga running up the stairs to help their owner, through the huge window of the dinning room.

How long had they been living with this family? If he recalled right, next Tuesday it would be 2 years since they arrival to that place. At first it had been really hard to adapt to this life. He wasn't resigned to this life, yet, and their last owner had been a real jerk. Of that kind of fat and hideous people who ordered them things like change up his slippers or cover them with the blankets… which were on their side or their feets… yeah, he wasn't in mood to remember that grotesque bastard.

"…-on't forget to make sure that everything remains closed. And confirm that Kaede finish with her duties before 7PM. Also, once we return I want the dinner served." Spoke a man, getting out to the garden, wearing and impeccable black suit and shoes that matched.

"Consider it done, master." Sesshomaru answered with his cold and monotone voice, walking behind him. His gaze kept firmly to the front, as if he were always looking towards the horizon.

"My dear, is time to go to the event."

The fine lady stood up and began to talk with her husband, but Inuyasha didn't pay attention anymore. While working with that fountain – which he had already cleaned 4 times before that day, he kept listening to Kouga's and Kaede's conversation. She was finally calming down.

Almost everyday was the same. Kaede had to work with her duties, mostly literature assignments, and other tasks like sewing, weaving, having tea with her mother and other stupid stuff like that, as Inuyasha liked to call them. It didn't matter if Kaede wasn't in the mood. They were things that she had to do, regardless she wanted or not or if it was something complicated. She just simply had to do it.

And there was no place for discussion.

And the small child was always stressed because of that. She wasn't like any other girls of her age, she was a free spirit, a person with a strong character and never wanted to be the one to become submissive.

The owner's house left inside their carriage and for the next couple of hours Inuyasha finally had a moment of peace. Without any more orders coming from that 'obsessed-with-my-clean-garden' woman he would finish cleaning the garden in no time.

Obsessed was a name that remained short to describe her, but the point was understood.

Sighing, he continued working with all the marble fountains of the place and then he took the scissors to work with the trees – it was way more easier to work with his claws but he had been ordered not to.

Finally, after finishing his tasks of today, Inuyasha entered the house through a small room at the backside of it. He left the utensils and the dirty shoes before entering the mansion. Usually he was shoeless inside of it, and he always wore his old and mistreated haori, which despite being old, was always clean. House's orders, of course.

When he reached the main hall he listened part of the conversation the other three Slaves were having. The same three people he had been seeing the last centuries. No, they weren't his friends. He couldn't allow himself to feel nothing anymore, it didn't matter if it was just a small show of affection, nothing could come from him.

Because everyone left sooner or later.

"Don't be cruel, Sesshomaru."

"He's not being cruel, Miroku. Is the master's order." Was Kouga who answered. They were both walking behind Sesshomaru who was beginning to climb up the stairs while carrying Kaede, who had failed again at her efforts of escape. It was already the seven time today that this happened.

"Kaede's orders are more important than her father's ones. Sesshomaru, don't forget that we were given to her." Spoke the young monk again, walking with his arms folded over his chest.

Inuyasha looked at them as they made their way towards the upper floors. The kid who was being carried over Sesshomaru's shoulder was nearly crying.

He had learned with the pass of years to not care for his owners, he was just there to obey and serve, he was their Slave.

But Kaede, despite the fact that sometimes she abused of her powers without noticing it, was different.

She really didn't look alike to any other girl of that time. She was really smart and advanced for her age.

When Kaede saw Inuyasha, she begged him to help her to avoid her duties, but the hanyou only could shock his head.

That was an order he couldn't obey, because Kaede had her duties and he had been forced – just like everyone else – to make sure that she finished them. Yet, he allowed himself to go to her room a while later and left a small bouquet of roses over her desk. She really loved those, he discovered and he thought that it could make her feel better.

It worked.

* * *

><p>"… and that's the story, completely detailed, just as you asked me." He spoke dryly, staring at the top of the tree were he was sitting over its roots. The young girl who was standing next to him, was terrified.<p>

"… I'm so sorry, Israel… I didn't think that… but…"

"Yeah, whatever." Inuyasha huffed, the roots were already soaked with his blood and that's why he was at one of the trees that were almost at the limit of the land of the mansion.

This night it fulfilled another month since his death.

And Kaede had saw him. When it was already dark, the child of eight years had decided to go out to the garden and give him something for dinner – she hadn't seen Inuyasha in the kitchens at the dinner's time - without her parents noticing.

Despite he had asked her – yeah, there was another order there that didn't allowed him to demand anything from her – to get away, she had just said the magic words and a simple 'Tell me all about it, completely detailed' just made Inuyasha to retell his death even if he didn't wanted to. Every single detail of that horrible night.

Kaede managed to suppress a small sob and looked to Inuyasha. Then, she placed the trail with food – that she had still been carrying – over one of the roots of the tree and then she began to run towards her house.

Inuyasha couldn't help but feel bad for this. He knew she was going to her room to cry. She was really sensitive but she wasn't allowed to show her emotions in front of the others because 'it isn't right for a young lady to do dramas' – in his father words, not his.

… soon, those kind of words would be the last thing that Kaede would be able to recall from her parents.

* * *

><p>"If someone wants to say any last words, you can say them now." Spoke a priest, looking towards the multitude reunited at that place.<p>

Young Kaede, of 13 years old already, was standing beside her four 'guardians' as she liked to call them. The five of them were looking, without any emotion over their faces, the two coffins in front of them.

Kaede was now an orphan. Some bandits had assaulted her parents when they were returning home from one of those events they used to attend. They had been murdered and had been stripped from their belongings.

The girl observed how the tomb was now sealed and finally, with a small sigh, she turned around and only said 'let's go'. She returned to her home, with her four Slaves following after her.

Inuyasha had always hated the extravagance her parents lived and the greed of Kaede's father was really well known, but it was thanks to that that he had been enough cautious to make sure on his will and letters that no one, absolutely no one other than Kaede had absolute power over the house. It didn't stipulated a limit of age and made her responsible for all what happened inside their land.

In a way, that forced her to become an adult at the age of 13. It was a completely stupid thing, but it had saved her to go to an orphanage.

Kaede entered the mansion and went to the dinning room, then she walked towards the living room and then she entered the kitchens. They had no servants, since all the house tasks were made by the four Slaves since their arrival. The young girl continued her walking around all the rooms of the mansion, which took a couple of hours. It was a big place and sometimes she just entered a room, stood there for a couple of minutes, staring at nothing, and then she walked away to enter another room and repeat the process.

Finally, after some hours, they sat down to eat dinner. Kaede had told them to dinner with her, at the table, and not in the kitchens as they had always been told to do. This would be done from now on.

"Miss Kaede…" spoke Miroku, after some minutes of silence. She hadn't eaten anything.

"Just Kaede." The girl said without lifting her gaze from her plate. "Forget about all the orders my parents could have ever told you. This is not a comment, nor a suggestion, this is a strict order. From now on, I don't want you to do anything they had ordered you to do.

The occupants stared at each other not knowing exactly what to say.

It seemed that Kaede would break in any minute, but she was forcing herself not to do it. She wasn't allowed to cry in front of other people… she had to show etiquette and act with elegancy… she had to… she had to…

Inuyasha tried to say something then, but he couldn't think of nothing. He had never dealt with something like this… no one had ever needed them so desperately.

It was then that Sesshomaru stood up, shocking the other Slaves, and walked towards Kaede who was now shacking while trying to take the fork on the table.

The taiyoukai stood next to the girl, took her arms and, softly, forced her to stand up. Then he just hugged protectively.

Nothing more.

Immediately, Kaede clung into the strong embrace and began to cry, releasing all her suffering with bitter tears.

She only had her four guardians left… but things began to improve a lot for all of them.

* * *

><p>"You want us to what?!" Exclaimed Kouga, scared. The girl in front of them had a glint of determination in her eyes.<p>

"Sure! Why not? You have practically turned into my tutors and I only consider it fair that you can enjoy of the entire house thanks to that 'title'. You're not my servants, I know, but I can't ask you to not keep taking care of it. I don't want weird people inside my house, I don't know…"

Weird people… Inuyasha was sure that in the entire world there were no weirdest people than the four of them!

"So, what do you think? I don't know how to give you your Freedom, but at least I can give you a life with dignity in this second chance you have." She kept talking with tenderness, she didn't appear the girl of 15 years old she was. She looked wiser for her age.

"But Kaede…" Miroku rubbed his temples. "How do you expect for us to take that responsibility on our own? We don't know anything about this world, we have hardly ever been out of the mansion.

"There's none responsibilities! We are all going to learn together. We are now a family!"

Inuyasha stared at the girl running around the entire place. Her parent's death had made her grown up faster in some way but since she was allowed to be herself at home she used to act childish. That made a lot of her ideas to sound crazy but they always worked it out.

The young half-demon could notice that Sesshomaru was looking at Kaede with a gaze that seemed to be paternal… as if he were proud of her. That almost gave him a heart attack but since things were changing, it was only natural if Sesshomaru began to change too, right?

Even if he hardly used to talk with them…

* * *

><p>… but that bastard hadn't had a right to treat her like that.<p>

Inuyasha could only watch, helpless, how Kaede was crying from the bottom of her heart while hugging Kouga.

Sesshomaru had just rejected Kaede's feelings.

And the only reason why the hanyou wasn't tearing him apart for breaking the heart of the only decent owner they had have in centuries was because she herself had asked him not to do it.

Miroku was sitting near the gate of the garden, looking at Sesshomaru who was standing next to that same gate, staring up at the sky.

He could clearly hear Kaede's sobs from that place.

"May I ask what happened with Kaede, Sesshomaru? Were you so rough on her?"

"I didn't hurt her on purpose and neither did I treat her bad." He spoke, while closing his eyes. He had just rejected her feelings, he hadn't been mean and haven't yelled at her. Kaede wasn't a woman into his eyes. She was just like Rin, in some kind of way she was like his daughter and he couldn't see her any other way.

"He was such a gentleman…" Kaede whispered once her tears subsided. "It's not his fault, I was the one to blame… it was obvious he wouldn't share my feelings but…" the girl felt more tears coming to her eyes and she sighed, wanting to calm down. "He said- he said that he was grateful but- I was only someone as a part of his family, he could never see me as a woman."

It was then when Inuyasha walked towards the window of the room, he was able to see the taiyoukai who kept looking at the sky.

He also seemed to be suffering…

* * *

><p>"A teacher?" Sesshomaru asked while sitting at the library of the house. He was looking at Kaede, who at her 20 years old had a determinate look on her face.<p>

"That's right. I may be a bit late but I have decided to continue with my studies. I spoke with some of my father's friends and they'll send a governess to teach me from the next week and then I will be able to get into one of these new schools."

"It's all right by me, though it's weird that at your age you must have a governess, but if that's what you've choose to do, go on."

Kouga, Miroku and Inuyasha, who were gossiping at the other side of the room almost died because of that chat. Since when did Kaede ask permission to Sesshomaru to do something?

* * *

><p>"Say Cheese." Spoke the photographer, under a black fabric and lifting a small device. Finally, after a powerful flash the picture was taken and once Kaede gave her address for the delivery, she headed toward her four companions.<p>

"Congratulations, Kaede" Spoke Miroku being the first to reach her and patting softly her head, since it was the only part of her body he was allowed to touch – that's right, Miroku had fell into his perverted actions, though one simple order from Kaede stopped it all.

"The same here, after a lot of years you finally managed to fulfill your dream and know you've enough knowledge to be a teacher yourself." Spoke the young wolf youkai, taking his place next to Miroku.

"Thank you very much, guys. This is a very special moment to me." Kaede hugged Kouga for a moment, who returned the hug with tenderness and then she took one arm from each Inuyasha and Sesshomaru and started walking towards their carriage waiting outside the building.

Inuyasha felt uncomfortable with Kaede's movement. He wasn't accustomed to any physical contact with anyone, not even her and having her in that way made him feel suddenly in danger. He had to remind himself over and over again that this was Kaede and not that witch of Tsubaki.

Once they entered the mansion, Kaede was grateful again for the three presents that were waiting for her at the dining room, from Kouga, Miroku and Sesshomaru.

Kaede noticed that her hanyou friend hadn't give her anything, but she allowed that to pass, since she knew him perfectly and she knew that he was shy to any public show of affection.

She wasn't disappointed when she entered her room, only to find it decorated with a beautiful bouquet of the most beautiful flowers from the entire garden, including her beloved roses. Next to it there was a small handwriting note made by Inuyasha with a simple but sincere: "Congratulations."

The young woman just and simply loved her friends.

* * *

><p>"Happy Valentine's Day" Kaede yelled while entering her house, after work, with some small handmade bags filled with homemade (or should I say, 'schoolmade') chocolate. She had decided to make some during her cooking classes and on purpose she had made a lot to bring back to her boys.<p>

They were waiting for her. Miroku and Kouga were practically drooling over the chocolate and although Inuyasha and Sesshomaru really liked it too they managed to control themselves.

Kaede was now 45 years old and things were exactly the same way as always.

Maybe too much 'the same way' for her liking.

She entered her room and sighed softly, staring at the scenario outside her window. The village was changing, she was changing, her entire house had been changing as the years passed… but the boys were always the same.

Inuyasha (Israel, for her) still was the same stubborn and arrogant adolescent, but with a heart of gold. Sesshomaru was finally beginning to speak in front of them! But his appearance was exactly the same. Just like Kouga who lately had begun to fight a bit more with Israel, being Miroku the one trying to calm them… just like always.

And they all looked exactly the _same…_

It was then when reality suddenly hit her.

She would grow old, but they wouldn't. So, who would take care of them when she weren't there anymore?

She could think of that in a few years more, as for now, she would keep enjoying her small family.

* * *

><p>"Do you want me to destroy this wall?"<p>

"Yeah, it blocks the view towards the forest that can be seen from the dinner's room window."

"But Mrs. Kaede…"

"Lady, Kouga. I never got married, remember?"

"Yeah well… but if I destroy this wall then the wild animals could enter and destroy the garden."

It was then that Kaede looked deflated and turned around to see her beautiful garden. She was tired of always feel trapped inside her own home and, since from her dinner room she could watch the forest and the mountain not so far over there if that wall was destroyed, she thought that it was a good idea… but if that implicated to risk the safety of the garden that her beloved Israel had worked so hard to keep beautiful just for her…

"Don't worry, Lady Kaede." Spoke the hanyou, walking nearer her owner, of 65 years old already and 'the wolf'. "If there's any risk of any wild animal entering the garden I'll make sure to stop them and get them away from here."

"Oh, would you do that for me, Israel? I didn't want to order you to do it, but if you think it would not be a problem…"

"Keh!" That was everything the half-demon said.

And that way they destroyed that space on the wall that delimitated her house with the borders of the forest.

* * *

><p>"All right, after dinner you can all go to your rooms, my dear boys." Kaede was now 78 years old and was having a small Christmas dinner with a couple of friends of her same age.<p>

It was in very rare occasions when she had visits that she asked them to leave. Because of the common fights between Kouga and Inuyasha that only made the other old people in the place feel uncomfortable.

Inuyasha was now standing against his window. This wasn't the first time that Kaede had sent them back towards their rooms to have some peace and quality time in silence. But it was ironic how much had things changed. Time ago she always needed of them, all the time, but now… … he wasn't missing her, of course not, but…

He had realized their situation. Just like the other guys, he was sure. Kaede would live a few more years… maybe 20, 30 if they were really lucky and she managed to celebrate her 100 birthday. But then what?

"It's been so long since the last time we have been changed from owners, hasn't it?" Asked Miroku, standing at his door frame, making Inuyasha jolt because of the abrupt interruption of his thoughts.

"I was thinking that maybe this last 50 years we haven't been treated like Slaves… not so literally but… we will have to start again and-…"

"Inuyasha, you've softened enough to recognize how valuable is Kaede, don't you?"

"Keh, nonsense, Miroku… I just tolerate her, that's all."

"Don't be ridiculous, it's obvious that you're fond of her, just like the rest of us. It would be a stupid thing to deny that. She has been an excellent balm for all of us."

"Balm… it's been a while since the last time I heard that word."

"There are a lot of things that we don't have since long time ago, Inuyasha, my friend. I think that what we can do now is just to bring her our company until the last moment she allows it. And then we will see what we will do."

Inuyasha never answered and keep staring at the nothingness. He never paid attention to the forest or the view in front of him. Life with Kaede had been good, but he was still a Slave. After Kaede, he would become again a full time Slave and being treated that way. There was no doubt about it. So what was the reason to fight?

"We will just continue like this for all eternity, Miroku… nothing's gonna change."

"Not even your point of view of things? You can always get over yourself, Inuyasha… and most important, get over the troubles of the past. It's never good to live on the memories and thoughts that torment us. Not even when they come back in dreams…"

"… Nothing's gonna change."

* * *

><p>Inuyasha narrowed his eyes, severely upset. Lady Kaede wasn't getting the double meaning of Kouga's words and listened to him attentively, believing he was talking about common pets… How wrong she was!<p>

"Lady Kaede ordered us not to run, but nothing will happen if you stop for a moment and wait until you can't hear Kouga's words," Sesshoumaru spoke, cold and discreetly as always, to Inuyasha who looked at him with surprise. If it was true that they didn't hate each other, in the nearly seventy years they have been living with Kaede they had talked about… fifty times at most? Well, with Sesshomaru you never had something to talk about.

The young hanyou slowed his steps, allowing himself to relax once he noticed how the others were turning a corner. He waited for ten seconds and then began to walk again, carrying the three bags that Kaede had entrusted him with: The loaves of bread, milk cans and butter.

Sesshomaru's advice worked since Inuyasha was walking behind the others without hearing the absurd critics that Kouga was saying towards him, with arrogance and without looking back. Kaede was so engrossed listening to the wolf that she didn't notice Inuyasha's absence.

"-and that's why all the dogs are known like 'the best friends of the man.'" Kouga finished his tale while walking inside the garden towards the great mansion. He observed, for the first time since he began talking, at his back and noticed the absence of Inuyasha. Miroku was carrying his and Sesshomaru's bags with the supper and other stuff they had bought and Sesshomaru was carrying old Kaede on his back. The long way had tired her and normally it was either him or Inuyasha who ended up carrying her home.

But nooo, that old lady neeeeeeever wanted to buy a car.

"Where's the mutt?"

"Israel?" Kaede looked around. The young hanyou was nowhere to be seen.

"What could have happened to him? Lady Kaede, do you want me to go and search for him?"

"No, don't Miroku. It's all right. Israel never gets in troubles… I'm sure it won't be long until he comes back. He's probably mad about that discussion with Kouga and he's hanging around somewhere."

Inuyasha returned, indeed, a couple of hours later.

When he entered the mansion, Kaede, who was sitting at the couch of the living room reading a book, looked at him but before she could ever say 'Hi' the young man had already stormed into the library and had enclosed himself inside.

It wasn't until Inuyasha finished his call, informing about someone who was hurt (though he knew he already was dead) at the abandoned square that he finally got out the room. Not even had he finished closing the door that everyone were around him. One was intrigued, other one was being arrogant, another one was curious and the later one was concerned.

"Israel, what-…?" The old lady tried to touch his arm, seeing him so lost and desperate inside. But he just moved his arm aside.

"Hey, mutt. Why did you have to worry Kaede like that?" It was Kouga who spoke, making Inuyasha's face get hid under his bangs of hair. "And what happened with the groceries bags? You idiot! You were the one bringing the bread and milk! Kaede wanted to have some cereal for dinner and toasted bread for breakfast! What the hell did you-?"

Kouga fell silent when Inuyasha lifted his gaze again. He had never seen him with those eyes so angry, with so much hatred… with so much agony.

Inuyasha looked down again and left towards his room…

… and he didn't came out until 3 days later.

* * *

><p>Kaede observed her boys, Inuyasha looked rough and rude, even more than usual but she hoped that his next owner could help him to open his heart again.<p>

Miroku looked jovial as always, since she knew him when she was barely 8 years old. That smile and charismatic charming the monk owned would always make her feel good whenever she felt sad about something.

Kouga was her best friend and confident. How could she forget him? Despite his arrogant attitude and possessiveness he was a good friend. She would always remember him with all her heart.

Sesshomaru, stoic as always kept being the same but she could see that in his eyes there was a paternal spark whenever he looked at her. She hadn't noticed while being younger. Her love from the adolescence and now son in her heart looked calm and dominant of the situation.

Now, at her eighty years old, Kaede walked with them towards the market place where she would do an auction. It had been a long time and she had to make sure that they would have a good home when she left this world. She didn't want them to suffer from loneliness or lack of something.

And that same day, Kagome, Sango, Ayame and Kagura had finally made her feel in peace, when they accepted to take care of her young Slaves… her best friends.

* * *

><p>Kaede returned home and it all suddenly seemed so lonely without them, but she smiled nevertheless knowing that they would be fine. They had given her a really beautiful live and had taught her a lot of things.<p>

The old lady walked into her room and took her old notebook, and so she began to write.

_"Today my dear boys have finally left this old place. I'm very sure that they'll have a wonderful life with their new owners. They're my students and I know they all share a big heart. I'm sure they won't lack of anything._

_As for me, I'm calm. I've lived my life, and I will keep enjoying it._

_Lately I've noticed this young girl walking near the borders of my house at mornings. She's a student of the same college where I'm a teacher – now that I think about it, she looked a lot like the girl from today's auction, oh well – a couple of days ago she even walked inside my garden and Israel could detect her, though I said to him that it was just a squirrel running around all over the place._

_I still can't believe he fell for that one. Maybe it was a good thing that at that precise moment we were making some coffee and the smell was dulling his senses._

_Anyway I hope things for them work out and I'll keep living my days at this old place._

_I'm not alone. I have my job, my students who I treasure a lot and I'll still be able to see them once in a while, to my beloved boys, at college if they keep company with those lovely girls. Maybe when I finish the works I'll allow me some time to have a cup of tea with my old friends."_

* * *

><p>Inuyasha smiled while turning around the page of that old notebook. He stood up and looked around. The room that once had belonged to Kaede. Years ago she had left this world, but they had kept her personal belongings.<p>

Since he wasn't living in this house anymore, but Kaede had made them the heirs of all what was once of her, they had adapted the old mansion to be a sanctuary for all those ex-Slaves that didn't have a place to go or hadn't been able to adapt themselves to the city or the small villages on the areas that had been formed for them.

Now, the mansion looked a lot like an apartment complex (and that made Kagome's mother laugh a lot) with a lot of luxury, yes, but with real respect for all that had once been of real value for that old and kind woman. Everyone who lived there knew it.

The half-demon closed the notebook of literature of Kaede and, being really careful, to not damage it, placed it in the bookshelf at the corner of her old room. Besides the notebook was a small frame with a photograph inside.

He smiled again while looking at the picture of them. Standing right next to a young Kaede the day she had finished her studies to become a teacher and, taking the dead rose that was inside the vase near it he placed a new one, fresher and recently cut from her beloved garden. He finally left the room he usually visited to remember his sweet owner.

Finally closing the door behind him, he left his memories behind, but not forgotten. Just locked so they wouldn't get in the future he now formed with Kagome and his family.

"Papa!" He heard that small whimper coming from his 5 years old daughter… her beautiful Kaede. "Where have you been? You were supposed to be looking for us! Not to make us hide in a place for over two hours!"

Ohh… now he remembered why he had got into the room in the first place…

He had just lost in the game of hide and seek.

* * *

><p><strong><em>Author notes:<em>**

_And this was it. After over a year I finally managed to end this translation project of mine. I hope you all have liked it and I would love to receive your comments and thoughts about it. Thank you all for all the support, the reviews, the alerts and favorites alerts. Thank you for bearing with me. I love you all!_


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